scholarly journals Diet, menopause and the risk of ovarian, endometrial and breast cancer

2019 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 438-448 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yashvee Dunneram ◽  
Darren C. Greenwood ◽  
Janet E. Cade

Menopause, the permanent cessation of the menstrual cycle, marks the end of a woman's reproductive lifespan. In addition to changes in sex hormone levels associated with menopause, its timing is another predictor of future health outcomes such as duration of the presence of vasomotor symptoms (VMS) and the risk of hormone-related cancers. With ageing of the population, it is estimated that worldwide 1·2 billion women will be menopausal by the year 2030. Previously the effects of reproductive factors (e.g. parity, age at menarche, pregnancy) and socio-demographic factors on intermediate and long-term health outcomes of menopause have been widely documented. However, little is known about whether diet could have an impact on these. Therefore, we review current evidence on the associations of diet with menopause, presence of VMS and the risk of hormone-related cancers such as ovarian, endometrial and breast cancer. Dietary factors could influence the lifespan of the ovaries and sex-hormones levels, hence the timing of natural menopause. Few studies reported an association between diet, in particular soya consumption, and a reduced risk of VMS. Sustained oestrogen exposure has been associated with a higher risk of hormone-related cancers and thus high-fat and meat diets have been linked with an increased risk of these cancers. However, to better understand the mechanistic pathways involved and to make stronger conclusions for these relationships, further studies investigating the associations of dietary intakes and dietary patterns with menopause, presence of VMS and the risk of hormone-related cancers are required.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
C R Langton ◽  
B W Whitcomb ◽  
A C Purdue-Smithe ◽  
L L Sievert ◽  
S E Hankinson ◽  
...  

Abstract STUDY QUESTION What is the association of oral contraceptives (OCs) and tubal ligation (TL) with early natural menopause? SUMMARY ANSWER We did not observe an association of OC use with risk of early natural menopause; however, TL was associated with a modestly higher risk. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY OCs manipulate hormone levels, prevent ovulation, and may modify the rate of follicular atresia, while TL may disrupt the blood supply to the ovaries. These mechanisms may be associated with risk of early menopause, a condition associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease and other adverse health outcomes. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION We examined the association of OC use and TL with natural menopause before the age of 45 years in a population-based study within the prospective Nurses’ Health Study II (NHSII) cohort. Participants were followed from 1989 to 2017 and response rates were 85-90% for each cycle. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Participants included 106 633 NHSII members who were premenopausal and aged 25-42 years at baseline. Use, duration and type of OC, and TL were measured at baseline and every 2 years. Menopause status and age were assessed every 2 years. Follow-up continued until early menopause, age 45 years, hysterectomy, oophorectomy, death, cancer diagnosis, or loss to follow-up. We used Cox proportional hazards models to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs adjusted for lifestyle, dietary, and reproductive factors. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE Over 1.6 million person-years, 2579 members of the analytic cohort experienced early natural menopause. In multivariable models, the duration, timing, and type of OC use were not associated with risk of early menopause. For example, compared with women who never used OCs, those reporting 120+ months of OC use had an HR for early menopause of 1.01 (95% CI, 0.87-1.17; P for trend=0.71). TL was associated with increased risk of early menopause (HR = 1.17, 95% CI, 1.06-1.28). LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION Our study population is homogenous with respect to race and ethnicity. Additional evaluation of these relations in more diverse populations is important. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS To our knowledge, this is the largest study examining the association of OC use and TL with early natural menopause to date. While TL was associated with a modest higher risk of early menopause, our findings do not support any material hazard or benefit for the use of OCs. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) The study was sponsored by UO1CA176726 and R01HD078517 from the National Institutes of Health and Department of Health and Human Services. The work was supported by the Intramural Research Program of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The authors have no competing interests to report. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER N/A


Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 2652
Author(s):  
Archana J. McEligot ◽  
Valerie Poynor ◽  
Rishabh Sharma ◽  
Anand Panangadan

A multitude of dietary factors from dietary fat to macro and micronutrients intakes have been associated with breast cancer, yet data are still equivocal. Therefore, utilizing data from the large, multi-year, cross-sectional National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), we applied a novel, modern statistical shrinkage technique, logistic least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression, to examine the association between dietary intakes in women, ≥50 years, with self-reported breast cancer (n = 286) compared with women without self-reported breast cancer (1144) from the 1999–2010 NHANES cycle. Logistic LASSO regression was used to examine the relationship between twenty-nine variables, including dietary variables from food, as well as well-established/known breast cancer risk factors, and to subsequently identify the most relevant variables associated with self-reported breast cancer. We observed that as the penalty factor (λ) increased in the logistic LASSO regression, well-established breast cancer risk factors, including age (β = 0.83) and parity (β = −0.05) remained in the model. For dietary macro and micronutrient intakes, only vitamin B12 (β = 0.07) was positively associated with self-reported breast cancer. Caffeine (β = −0.01) and alcohol (β = 0.03) use also continued to remain in the model. These data suggest that a diet high in vitamin B12, as well as alcohol use may be associated with self-reported breast cancer. Nonetheless, additional prospective studies should apply more recent statistical techniques to dietary data and cancer outcomes to replicate and confirm the present findings.


Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1514 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paola De Cicco ◽  
Maria Valeria Catani ◽  
Valeria Gasperi ◽  
Matteo Sibilano ◽  
Maria Quaglietta ◽  
...  

Breast cancer (BC) is the second most common cancer worldwide and the most commonly occurring malignancy in women. There is growing evidence that lifestyle factors, including diet, body weight and physical activity, may be associated with higher BC risk. However, the effect of dietary factors on BC recurrence and mortality is not clearly understood. Here, we provide an overview of the current evidence obtained from the PubMed databases in the last decade, assessing dietary patterns, as well as the consumption of specific food-stuffs/food-nutrients, in relation to BC incidence, recurrence and survival. Data from the published literature suggest that a healthy dietary pattern characterized by high intake of unrefined cereals, vegetables, fruit, nuts and olive oil, and a moderate/low consumption of saturated fatty acids and red meat, might improve overall survival after diagnosis of BC. BC patients undergoing chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy experience a variety of symptoms that worsen patient quality of life. Studies investigating nutritional interventions during BC treatment have shown that nutritional counselling and supplementation with some dietary constituents, such as EPA and/or DHA, might be useful in limiting drug-induced side effects, as well as in enhancing therapeutic efficacy. Therefore, nutritional intervention in BC patients may be considered an integral part of the multimodal therapeutic approach. However, further research utilizing dietary interventions in large clinical trials is required to definitively establish effective interventions in these patients, to improve long-term survival and quality of life.


2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 234-240
Author(s):  
Renata G. Paleari ◽  
Raquel M.R. Peres ◽  
Juliana O. Florentino ◽  
Juliana K. Heinrich ◽  
Welbe O. Bragança ◽  
...  

Objective To evaluate the prevalence of the C825T polymorphism in the GNB3 gene in women with and without breast cancer and its possible association with clinical or pathological features of breast disease. Subjects and methods We included 134 women with breast cancer and a control group of 129 healthy women. The case group responded to a questionnaire on lifestyle, reproductive factors and family history. Clinical data were also evaluated. The risk for cancer was calculated and PCR was carried out for the detection of the polymorphism. Statistical analysis was performed using the package R Environment, with confidence intervals of 95% and a significance level of 5% (P<0.05). Results The frequency of the TT genotype was significantly greater in women of the control group (30.2%) than women with breast cancer (14.9%) (p=0.02). The polymorphism was not associated with clinical features, age at diagnosis (p=0.07), age at menarche (p=0.17), and age at menopause (p=0.60). The TT genotype did not have a higher frequency in patients with high BMI (p=0.98). The risk for cancer showed no correlation with the presence of the polymorphism. Conclusions Our data indicate that the C825T polymorphism in the GNB3 gene has no relationship to the risk for breast cancer or the characteristics of the disease.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinghuan Gan ◽  
Zhichao Chen ◽  
Shuai Liu ◽  
Fei Wang ◽  
Xiaodan Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Women comprise more than half of people suffering cognitive impairment. This study aims to evaluate the association or interaction between reproductive factors and the risk of dementia in Chinese women with natural menopause.Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted in 112 community primary health care centers in rural northern China between April 2019 and January 2020. A total of 4,275 women aged ≥ 65 years who had natural menopause were included. Reproductive factors were recorded by self-report. Reproductive period was calculated as age at menopause minus age at menarche.Results: Compared to those without dementia, women with dementia were significantly older at menarche and younger at menopause; had significantly shorter duration of reproductive period; and had more pregnancies and parities. There were 0.757, 0.698, and 0.708 times to get dementia for women who experienced reproductive periods with 31-33 years, 34-36 years, and ≥ 37 years, respectively, as compared with ≤ 30 years. Reproductive period could positively predict MMSE score (β = 0.112) and negative prediction of the number of parities (β = -0.449); the number of parities could negatively predict MMSE score (β = -0.851) as well.Conclusions: Longer duration of reproductive period, directly or through lower number of pregnancies/parities indirectly, lowers the risk of dementia in late life.


2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 464-471 ◽  
Author(s):  
M S Gottschalk ◽  
A Eskild ◽  
S Hofvind ◽  
J M Gran ◽  
E K Bjelland

Abstract STUDY QUESTION Have mean age at menarche or mean age at natural menopause changed from the 1939 birth cohort to the 1964 birth cohort? SUMMARY ANSWER We estimated a minor decrease in mean age at menarche and an increase by nearly 3 years in mean age at natural menopause. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY In the Western world, age at menarche decreased across birth cohorts from the early 1800s until the 1950s. Whether mean age at menarche has continued to decrease in birth cohorts after the 1950s remains uncertain. It is also uncertain whether mean age at natural menopause has changed across birth cohorts. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION We performed a retrospective population study of 312 656 women who were born in Norway during the years 1936–1964. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS The data were obtained by two self-administered questionnaires from women who participated in the Norwegian breast cancer screening program (BreastScreen Norway) during the years 2006–2014. We used flexible parametric survival models with restricted cubic splines to estimate mean age at menarche, mean age at menopause and mean number of years between menarche and menopause according to the women’s year of birth. The women who were still having menstrual periods contributed with follow-up time until the time of data collection, and the women who had reported surgical removal of the uterus and/or both ovaries prior to natural menopause contributed with follow-up time until the time of surgery. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE The mean age at menarche was 13.42 years (95% CI: 13.40–13.44 years) among women born during 1936–1939, and it was 13.24 years (95% CI: 13.22–13.25 years) among women born during 1960–1964. The mean age at natural menopause increased from 50.31 years (95% CI: 50.25–50.37 years) among women born during 1936–1939 to 52.73 years (95% CI: 52.64–52.82 years) among women born during 1960–1964. The mean number of years between menarche and menopause increased from 36.83 years (95% CI: 36.77–36.89 years) to 40.22 years (95% CI: 40.11–40.34 years). LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION Information about age at menarche and age at menopause was based on self-reports. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS Late menopause is associated with increased risk of breast cancer but also with increased life expectancy. Thus, higher mean age at menopause may partly explain the increase in breast cancer incidence after menopause and the increase in life expectancy in recent time. Also, a longer interval between menarche and menopause could suggest that the number of years of female fecundity has increased. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) This work was funded by the South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority [grant number 2016112 to M.S.G.] and by the Norwegian Cancer Society [grant number 6863294-2015 to E.K.B.]. The authors declare no conflicts of interest.


2009 ◽  
Vol 27 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1501-1501 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. S. Baik ◽  
G. M. Strauss ◽  
D. Feskanich

1501 Background: There has been increased interest in understanding the role of hormonal factors in lung cancer (LC) in women with the observation that it exhibits different epidemiologic patterns and treatment response when compared to men. However, results of published studies have been inconsistent, possibly due to inadequate smoking adjustment. Methods: We prospectively examined the associations between reproductive factors, exogenous hormone use, and LC incidence in 106,574 postmenopausal women in the Nurses’ Health Study. Participants completed biennial questionnaires which included updated smoking history. We assessed age at menopause, age at menarche, type of menopause, parity, postmenopausal hormone (PMH), and oral contraceptive use. Cox proportional hazards modeling was used to estimate the relative risks (RR) of each exposure, adjusted for smoking status, number of cigarettes, time since quitting, age of initiating smoking, fruit/vegetable intake, body mass index, and environmental smoking exposure. Results: We identified 1,565 LC cases during follow up from 1984 to 2004. Parity was associated with decreased LC risk in never smokers (RR = 0.54, 95% CI 0.31–0.96) but increased risk in current smokers (RR = 1.44, 95% CI 1.03–2.02). No association was seen in former smokers. Also, younger age at menopause was associated with higher LC risk in women with natural menopause (p-trend = 0.016). PMH use was not associated with LC incidence. The RR for current PMH users was 1.01 (95% CI 0.87–1.17) and for past users was 0.95 (95% CI 0.82–1.1). No significant association was seen when assessed by duration of PMH use, time since last use, or type of PMH. However, past use of oral contraceptives for greater than 5 years was associated with increased LC risk (RR = 1.2, 95% CI 1.03–1.41). Conclusions: These results suggest that there may be an association between hormonal factors and LC development, and further suggest that the mechanism may differ in smokers versus lifelong never smokers. No significant financial relationships to disclose.


2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1565-1565
Author(s):  
Lydia Marcus ◽  
Keith A. Dookeran

1565 Background: The higher rates of triple negative (TN) breast cancer (BC) observed among black compared to white women may be attributable to social and reproductive factors, as well as biological conditions like diabetes mellitus type 2. We examine the extent to which the black/white race disparity in TNBC is transmitted through these factors. Methods: Data are from the Nurses’ Health Study I and II prospective cohorts and include non-Hispanic (nH) black (n = 97) and nH white (n = 8,876) women aged 25-55 years at enrollment with invasive BC diagnoses. Participant characteristics are self-reported or drawn from medical records. We estimated average controlled direct associations (ACDA) using logistic regression with model-based standardization to evaluate the age/body mass index (BMI)-adjusted prevalence difference for TN versus luminal A/B type BC by race, and performed a series of ACDA (with comparison of rescaled coefficients (RC)) controlling for diabetes, mean family income before diagnosis (cont.), husband’s education ( < college, college, graduate school), parental ownership of participant’s childhood home (yes/no), age at menarche (cont.), age at first birth (cont.), parity (integer), and breastfeeding (BF) (parous/never BF, parous/ever BF). Results: Compared to nH whites, nh black women had higher prevalence of TNBC (24.5% v. 45.4%; p < 0.01), higher prevalence of diabetes (5.5% v. 11.3%; p = 0.01), lower prevalence of BF (59.2% v. 46.6%; p = 0.02), higher mean BMI (26.1 v. 29.9; p < 0.01), and lower mean family income ($17,304 v. 15,750; p < 0.01). BMI, age, and menopause were positively associated with prevalence of diabetes. In the age/BMI adjusted model, nH black women were 20%-points more likely than nH whites to have TNBC (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.11, 0.29). This disparity was reduced to 18.1% after also adjusting for BF (95% CI: 0.09, 0.28), to 13.7% after additionally adjusting for socioeconomic indicators (95% CI: 0.02, 0.25), and to 13.3% after adjusting for all potential mediators (95% CI: 0.01, 0.26). Based on the method of RC, socioeconomic indicators accounted for the largest fraction of mediated effects and BF accounted for most of main effect attenuation associated with reproductive factors; diabetes accounted for negligible effect. Conclusions: Our findings support the hypothesis that observed racial differences in TNBC diagnoses may be at least partially mediated by differences in socioeconomic position and reproductive patterns, namely breastfeeding.


2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (9) ◽  
pp. 3136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Palachandra A. ◽  
Ishwaraprasad G. D. ◽  
Sreelatha C. Y. ◽  
Sumana M.

Background: The burden of breast cancer is increasing in both developed and developing countries; the peak occurrence of breast cancer in developed countries is above the age of 50 whereas in India it is above the age of 40. Reproductive factors contribute most to the development of breast cancer. Nulliparity, more age at first live birth and no breastfeeding are major reproductive risk factors for breast cancer in the developed countries. The role of reproductive factors in the development of breast cancer in Indian population is different as compared with that seen in the western population. Objective of this study was to find out some of the various risk factors of breast cancer among patients attending the tertiary care hospital in Hassan.Methods: The case control study was conducted at surgery wards of Sri Chamarajendra district hospital which is a teaching hospital. The calculated number of cases was 110, including 110 controls total 220 individuals were included in the study. A case was defined as any female patient histopathologically confirmed to have breast cancer.Results: The maximum cases (38%) were between 51 to 60 years of age group. Age at menarche, age at first child birth, age at marriage and age at menopause reported significant risk for breast cancer.Conclusions: Information, education and communication activities regarding these risk factors, early signs and symptoms of breast carcinoma, and breast self‑examination should be imparted to the women to create awareness about this fatal disease.


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