Breast cancer risk and the interaction between adolescent body size and weight gain in later life: A case-control study

Background: While the breast cancer risk associated with increasing adult BMI in postmenopausal women can be explained by increases in concentrations of endogenous estrogens the biologic mechanisms behind the inverse association between adolescent BMI and breast cancer risk are still a subject of co...

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Main Authors: Florath, I., Sarink, D., Saunders, C., Heyworth, J., Fritschi, Lin
Format: Journal Article
Published: 2016
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/51131
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author Florath, I.
Sarink, D.
Saunders, C.
Heyworth, J.
Fritschi, Lin
author_facet Florath, I.
Sarink, D.
Saunders, C.
Heyworth, J.
Fritschi, Lin
author_sort Florath, I.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Background: While the breast cancer risk associated with increasing adult BMI in postmenopausal women can be explained by increases in concentrations of endogenous estrogens the biologic mechanisms behind the inverse association between adolescent BMI and breast cancer risk are still a subject of controversial debate. Methods: We investigated the association of breast cancer with body size and changes in body size across life time estimated by age-specific BMI Z scores and changes in BMI Z scores from teenage years to middle age in an age-matched population-based case-control study of 2994 Australian women. Logistic regression adjusted for the matching factor age and further potential confounders was used. Results: Adolescent body leanness in postmenopausal women and excess adult weight gain in all study participants were associated with an increased breast cancer risk with an odds ratio [95% confidence interval] of 1.29 [1.08,1.54] and 1.31 [1.09,1.59], respectively. Interaction analyses restricted to postmenopausal women revealed an increased risk of breast cancer in those who were lean during adolescence and gained excess weight during adulthood (odds ratio [95% confidence interval]: 1.52 [1.19,1.95]) but not in women who were lean during adolescence and did not gain excess weight during adulthood (1.20 [0.97,1.48]) and not in women who were not lean during adolescence and but gained excess weight during adulthood (1.10 [0.95,1.27]) compared to postmenopausal women who were neither lean during adolescence nor gained excess weight. Conclusion: In postmenopausal women adolescent leanness was only associated with increased breast cancer risk when excess weight was gained during adulthood.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-511312017-09-13T15:48:11Z Breast cancer risk and the interaction between adolescent body size and weight gain in later life: A case-control study Florath, I. Sarink, D. Saunders, C. Heyworth, J. Fritschi, Lin Background: While the breast cancer risk associated with increasing adult BMI in postmenopausal women can be explained by increases in concentrations of endogenous estrogens the biologic mechanisms behind the inverse association between adolescent BMI and breast cancer risk are still a subject of controversial debate. Methods: We investigated the association of breast cancer with body size and changes in body size across life time estimated by age-specific BMI Z scores and changes in BMI Z scores from teenage years to middle age in an age-matched population-based case-control study of 2994 Australian women. Logistic regression adjusted for the matching factor age and further potential confounders was used. Results: Adolescent body leanness in postmenopausal women and excess adult weight gain in all study participants were associated with an increased breast cancer risk with an odds ratio [95% confidence interval] of 1.29 [1.08,1.54] and 1.31 [1.09,1.59], respectively. Interaction analyses restricted to postmenopausal women revealed an increased risk of breast cancer in those who were lean during adolescence and gained excess weight during adulthood (odds ratio [95% confidence interval]: 1.52 [1.19,1.95]) but not in women who were lean during adolescence and did not gain excess weight during adulthood (1.20 [0.97,1.48]) and not in women who were not lean during adolescence and but gained excess weight during adulthood (1.10 [0.95,1.27]) compared to postmenopausal women who were neither lean during adolescence nor gained excess weight. Conclusion: In postmenopausal women adolescent leanness was only associated with increased breast cancer risk when excess weight was gained during adulthood. 2016 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/51131 10.1016/j.canep.2016.10.016 restricted
spellingShingle Florath, I.
Sarink, D.
Saunders, C.
Heyworth, J.
Fritschi, Lin
Breast cancer risk and the interaction between adolescent body size and weight gain in later life: A case-control study
title Breast cancer risk and the interaction between adolescent body size and weight gain in later life: A case-control study
title_full Breast cancer risk and the interaction between adolescent body size and weight gain in later life: A case-control study
title_fullStr Breast cancer risk and the interaction between adolescent body size and weight gain in later life: A case-control study
title_full_unstemmed Breast cancer risk and the interaction between adolescent body size and weight gain in later life: A case-control study
title_short Breast cancer risk and the interaction between adolescent body size and weight gain in later life: A case-control study
title_sort breast cancer risk and the interaction between adolescent body size and weight gain in later life: a case-control study
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/51131