Abstract |
Body fatness at young ages may be related to breast cancer risk independently of adult adiposity. The authors conducted a prospective analysis among 188,860 women (7,582 breast cancer cases) in the Nurses' Health Study (1988-2004) and Nurses' Health Study II (1989-2005) who recalled their body fatness at ages 5, 10, and 20 years using a 9-level pictogram (level 1: most lean; level 9: most overweight). Body fatness at young ages was inversely associated with risk of both premenopausal and postmenopausal breast cancer (per 1-unit increase in adolescent body fatness, relative risk (RR) = 0.88 and RR = 0.91, respectively; P(trend) < 0.0001). Among all women, the RR for adolescent body fatness of level 6.5 or higher versus level 1 was 0.57 (per 1-unit increase, RR = 0.90; P(trend) < 0.0001) and was unaffected by adjustment for current body mass index. The association was stronger for women with birth weights under 8.5 pounds (<3.9 kg) than for women with birth weights of 8.5 pounds or more (> or =3.9 kg) (per 1-unit increase, RR = 0.89 and RR = 0.94, respectively; P(interaction) = 0.04) and stronger for estrogen receptor-negative tumors than for estrogen receptor-positive tumors (per 1-unit increase, RR = 0.86 and RR = 0.92, respectively; P(heterogeneity) = 0.03). Body fatness at young ages has a strong and independent inverse relation to breast cancer risk throughout life.
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Authors | Heather J Baer, Shelley S Tworoger, Susan E Hankinson, Walter C Willett |
Journal | American journal of epidemiology
(Am J Epidemiol)
Vol. 171
Issue 11
Pg. 1183-94
(Jun 01 2010)
ISSN: 1476-6256 [Electronic] United States |
PMID | 20460303
(Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural)
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Topics |
- Adolescent
- Adult
- Age Factors
- Birth Weight
- Body Mass Index
- Body Weight
- Breast Neoplasms
(etiology, pathology)
- Child
- Child, Preschool
- Confidence Intervals
- Female
- Humans
- Middle Aged
- Obesity
(complications)
- Proportional Hazards Models
- Prospective Studies
- Risk
- Risk Factors
- Young Adult
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