Density In Premenopausal Women Research Articles

Milk intake and mammographic density in premenopausal women.

1569 Background: Mammographic density (MD), which reflects the amount of epithelial and stromal tissues in relation to adipose tissue in the breast, is a strong risk factor for breast cancer. Although diet is associated with breast cancer risk, studies evaluating the associations of adult diet with MD have mainly reported null associations. Few studies have, however, investigated the associations of dairy intake with MD, with conflicting results. Therefore, we investigated the associations of milk intake with MD in premenopausal women. Methods: We recruited 375 premenopausal women, with no history of cancer, who had routine screening mammography at the Breast Health Center, Washington University in St. Louis in 2016. We used Volpara to measure MD: volumetric percent density (VPD), dense volume (DV) and non-dense volume (NDV). In addition to known breast cancer risk factors, all participants completed a detailed questionnaire on milk intake (skim milk and 1%/2% milk were categorized into 4 groups: < once/week, once/week, 2-6 times/week, ≥once/day; whole and soy milk were categorized into 2 groups: < once/week, ≥once/week, because fewer women consumed them). We used multivariable linear regression models (adjusted for age, body mass index (BMI), parity, oral contraceptive use, family history of breast cancer, race) to evaluate the associations between milk intake and log transformed VPD, DV and NDV. Beta coefficients (β) were evaluated and back transformed for easier interpretation. Results: The mean age was 47.5 years (range: 32-58 years), mean VPD was 9.48%, mean DV was 80.69 cm3, and mean NDV was 1079 cm3. Compared with women who drank 1%/2% milk < once/week, VPD was 20% (p-value = 0.003) lower in the once/week group, 14% (p-value = 0.047) lower in the 2-6 times/week group, and 12% (p-value = 0.144) lower in the ≥once/day group. NDV was 19% (p-value = 0.039) lower among women who drank soy milk ≥once/week compared with women who drank < once/week. There were no associations of skim and whole milk with MD. Conclusions: We observed that 1%/2% milk intake was inversely associated with VPD, while soy milk intake was inversely associated with NDV. Further studies on how 1%/2% and soy milk intake impact MD are needed, as this could have implications in breast cancer prevention.

Adiposity at Age 10 and Mammographic Density among Premenopausal Women.

Although childhood adiposity is inversely associated with breast cancer risk, the association of childhood adiposity with mammographic density in premenopausal women has not been adequately studied. We analyzed data from 365 premenopausal women who came in for screening mammography at Washington University (St. Louis, MO) from 2015 to 2016. Body size at age 10 was self-reported using somatotype pictogram. Body mass index (BMI) at age 10 was imputed using data from Growing Up Today Study. Volpara software was used to evaluate volumetric percent density (VPD), dense volume (DV), and nondense volume (NDV). Adjusted multivariable linear regression models were used to evaluate the associations between adiposity at age 10 and mammographic density measures. Adiposity at age 10 was inversely associated with VPD and positively associated with NDV. A 1 kg/m2 increase in BMI at age 10 was associated with a 6.4% decrease in VPD, and a 6.9% increase in NDV (P < 0.001). Compared with women whose age 10 body size was 1 or 2, women with body size 3 or 4 had a 16.8% decrease in VPD and a 26.6% increase in NDV, women with body size 5 had a 32.2% decrease in VPD and a 58.5% increase in NDV, and women with body sizes ≥6 had a 47.8% decrease in VPD and a 80.9% increase in NDV (P < 0.05). The associations were attenuated, but still significant after adjusting for current BMI. Mechanistic studies to understand how childhood adiposity influences breast development, mammographic density, and breast cancer in premenopausal women are needed. Cancer Prev Res; 11(5); 287-94. ©2018 AACR.

Distal radius microstructure and finite element bone strain are related to site-specific mechanical loading and areal bone mineral density in premenopausal women

While weight-bearing and resistive exercise modestly increases aBMD, the precise relationship between physical activity and bone microstructure, and strain in humans is not known. Previously, we established a voluntary upper-extremity loading model that assigns a person's target force based on their subject-specific, continuum FE-estimated radius bone strain. Here, our purpose was to quantify the inter-individual variability in radius microstructure and FE-estimated strain explained by site-specific mechanical loading history, and to determine whether variability in strain is captured by aBMD, a clinically relevant measure of bone density and fracture risk. Seventy-two women aged 21–40 were included in this cross-sectional analysis. High resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HRpQCT) was used to measure macro- and micro-structure in the distal radius. Mean energy equivalent strain in the distal radius was calculated from continuum finite element models generated from clinical resolution CT images of the forearm. Areal BMD was used in a nonlinear regression model to predict FE strain. Hierarchical linear regression models were used to assess the predictive capability of intrinsic (age, height) and modifiable (body mass, grip strength, physical activity) predictors. Fifty-one percent of the variability in FE bone strain was explained by its relationship with aBMD, with higher density predicting lower strains. Age and height explained up to 31.6% of the variance in microstructural parameters. Body mass explained 9.1% and 10.0% of the variance in aBMD and bone strain, respectively, with higher body mass indicative of greater density. Overall, results suggest that meaningful differences in bone structure and strain can be predicted by subject characteristics.

Abstract P4-01-01: Adiposity at age 10 and mammographic density among premenopausal women

Abstract Background: Higher mammographic breast density is a strong risk factor for breast cancer. Early-life factors may influence breast development and subsequent breast density in adulthood. Although childhood adiposity is inversely associated with breast cancer risk, the association of childhood adiposity with mammographic breast density in premenopausal women has not been adequately studied. This knowledge could provide insight into pathways linking mammographic density and breast cancer risk. We investigated the associations between adiposity at age 10 and mammographic density. Methods: We collected data from 370 premenopausal women during their routine screening mammograms at Washington University in St. Louis, MO from December 2015 to October 2016. Body size at age 10 was self-reported using the Stunkard 9-figure Somatotype pictogram. For these analyses, the Stunkard pictogram was collapsed into 4 groups: (i) body size 1 or 2, (ii) body size 3 or 4, (iii) body size 5, (iv) body size 6 or higher. Body mass index (BMI) at age 10 was imputed using BMI and Stunkard data from the Growing Up Today Study. Trained personnel collected womens' height and weight, which were used to calculate current BMI. We used the Volpara software to evaluate the following volumetric mammographic density measures: volumetric percent density (VPD), dense volume (DV) and non-dense volume (NDV). Age-adjusted Pearson correlations and multivariable linear regression models (adjusted for age, age at each given birth, family history, race, education, oral contraceptive use, and breast feeding history) were used to evaluate the associations between adiposity at age 10 and volumetric mammographic density measures. Results: The mean age at the time of screening mammogram was 47.1 years. The majority of the women (43.8%) reported having body size 1 or 2, followed by body size 3 or 4 (34.9%), body size 5 (13.8%) and body size 6 (7.6%) at age 10. We observed a negative correlation between BMI at age 10 (r= -0.28, p-value&amp;lt;0.001) and VPD, and a positive correlation between BMI at age 10 (r= 0.27, p-value&amp;lt;0.001) and NDV. In multivariable regression models, adiposity at age 10 was significantly inversely associated with VPD, and positively associated with NDV. A 1kg/m2 increase in BMI at age 10 was associated with a 6.3% decrease in VPD (p-value &amp;lt;0.001), and a 6.7% increase in NDV (p-value &amp;lt;0.001). Compared to women whose body sizes were 1 and 2 at age 10, women with body size 3 or 4 had a 17.6% decrease in VPD, and a 28.5% increase in NDV; women with body size 5 had a 32.3% decrease in VPD, and a 58.1% increase in NDV, and women with body sizes ≥6 had a 46.6% decrease in VPD, and a 75.1% increase in NDV (all p-values &amp;lt;0.05). The associations of body size at age 10 and VPD were attenuated, but still statistically significant when we adjusted for current BMI. No statistically significant associations were found between adiposity at age 10 and DV. Conclusions: Our findings of an inverse association between adiposity at age 10 and percent density suggest that adiposity at age 10 could impact breast cancer development via its effect on mammographic density. Mechanistic studies to understand how childhood adiposity reduces mammographic density and breast cancer development in premenopausal women are needed. Citation Format: Alimujiang A, Imm KR, Appleton CM, Colditz GA, Berkey CS, Toriola AT. Adiposity at age 10 and mammographic density among premenopausal women [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2017 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-01-01.

Circulating Hormones and Mammographic Density in Premenopausal Women.

Prior research suggests that several endogenous hormones in premenopausal women are associated with breast cancer risk; however, few studies have evaluated associations of endogenous hormones with mammographic density (MD) in premenopausal women. We conducted a cross-sectional study of plasma hormone levels in relation to MD among 634 cancer-free premenopausal women in the Nurses' Health Study II. We measured percent MD from screening mammograms using a computer-assisted method. We assayed estradiol, estrone, and estrone sulfate in blood samples timed in early follicular and mid-luteal phases of the menstrual cycle as well as testosterone, androstenedione, progesterone, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), DHEA sulfate, sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), and anti-Müllerian hormone in luteal or untimed samples. We used multivariable linear regression to quantify the association of %MD with quartiles of each hormone, adjusting for age, body mass index, and breast cancer risk factors. Women in the highest quartile of follicular estradiol levels had significantly greater %MD compared to those in the lowest quartile [difference, 6.7 percentage points; 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.2, 11.3; p-trend < 0.001]. Similar associations were observed for follicular free estradiol but not luteal-phase estradiol. Also, women in the top (vs. bottom) quartile of free testosterone had significantly lower %MD (difference, - 4.7; 95% CI - 8.7, - 0.8; p-trend = 0.04). Higher SHBG was significantly associated with higher percent MD (difference, 4.8; 95% CI 1.1, 8.6; p-trend = 0.002). Percent MD was not strongly associated with other measured hormones. Results were similar in analyses that excluded women with anovulatory cycles. Our findings suggest that follicular estradiol and SHBG may play an important role in premenopausal percent MD.

The Association between Fat Mass, Lean Mass and Bone Mineral Density in Premenopausal Women in Korea: A Cross-Sectional Study

BackgroundWe investigated the association between body composition, especially truncal or non-truncal fat mass (FM), and bone mineral density (BMD) in premenopausal women in Korea.MethodsA cross-sectional study was performed using data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey IV and V (2008–2011). Total lean mass (LM), total FM (TFM), truncal FM, and non-truncal FM, and BMD of the total femur, femoral neck (FN), and lumbar spine were measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. The association between body composition and BMD was analyzed using multiple linear regression. The risk of low BMD according to quartiles of TFM, truncal FM, and non-truncal FM was calculated using logistic regression. Subgroup analysis according to body mass index was also performed.ResultsIn 4,343 premenopausal women, total LM was positively associated with BMD regardless of weight adjustment. TFM, truncal FM, and non-truncal FM were inversely associated with BMD after adjusting for weight. Odds ratios (ORs) for low BMD and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of the highest quartile of TFM, truncal FM, and non-truncal FM compared with the lowest quartile were calculated. The risk of low BMD of the FN was higher in the highest quartile of TFM (OR, 4.48; 95% CI, 1.11–18.01) and truncal FM (OR, 5.48; 95% CI, 1.75–17.20). Truncal FM and not-truncal FM had an inverse association with BMD in the non-obese and obese subgroups of women.ConclusionTotal LM has a protective effect on BMD and FM can have a detrimental effect on BMD besides its skeletal loading effect.

Alcohol consumption across the life course and mammographic density in premenopausal women.

Consumption of alcoholic beverages during adolescence and early adulthood has been consistently associated with higher breast cancer risk. The influence of alcohol consumption early in life on mammographic breast density, a marker of breast cancer risk, is inconclusive. This study examined associations of alcohol consumption across the life course with premenopausal mammographic density. The study population included 1211 premenopausal women in the Nurses' Health Study II without cancer, whorecalled their alcohol consumption at age 15 through enrollment in 1989 (baseline), and had mammograms available. Recent alcohol consumption was updated over follow-up. Percent and absolute measures of mammographic density were quantified on digitized film mammograms. Generalized linear regression was used to assess associations. There were no notable differences in any of the three density measures for alcohol consumption at any age (15-17, 18-22, 23-30, and 31-mammogram). Neither alcohol consumption before first pregnancy nor after first pregnancy was significantly associated with any of the three density measures. Moderate alcohol consumption during different age intervals during adolescence and early adulthood was not associated with mammographic density in premenopausal women.

A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial of the Effect of Vitamin D3 Supplementation on Breast Density in Premenopausal Women.

Background: This double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel group trial assessed whether oral supplementation with 1,000, 2,000, or 3,000 IU/day vitamin D3 over one year reduces percent mammographic breast density in premenopausal women.Methods: The trial was conducted between October 2012 and June 2015, among premenopausal female volunteers from Quebec City (Quebec, Canada). Women were randomized with ratio 1:1:1:1 to one of four study arms (1,000, 2,000, or 3,000 IU/day vitamin D3 or placebo). The primary outcome was mean change in percent mammographic breast density. Participants and research team were blinded to study arm assignment.Results: Participants (n = 405) were randomized to receive 1,000 (n = 101), 2,000 (n = 104), or 3,000 IU/day (n = 101) vitamin D3, or a placebo (n = 99). The primary analysis included 391 participants (96, 99, 100, and 96, respectively). After the one-year intervention, mean ± SE change in percent breast density in the arms 1,000 IU/day (-5.5% ± 0.5%) and 2,000 IU/day (-5.9% ± 0.5%) vitamin D3 was similar to that in the placebo arm (-5.7% ± 0.5%) (P values = 1.0). In the 3,000 IU/day vitamin D3 arm, percent breast density also declined but slightly less (-3.8% ± 0.5%) compared with placebo arm (P = 0.03). Adherence to intervention was excellent (92.8%), and reporting of health problems was comparable among study arms (P ≥ 0.95). All participants had normal serum calcium.Conclusions: In premenopausal women, one-year supplementation with 1,000, 2,000, or 3,000 IU/day vitamin D3 resulted in a reduction of percent breast density no greater than that seen with the placebo.Impact: At doses of 1,000-3,000 IU/day, vitamin D supplementation will not reduce breast cancer risk through changes in breast density. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 26(8); 1233-41. ©2017 AACR.

Abstract 4248: Adiposity, change in adiposity during adulthood and mammographic density in premenopausal women

Abstract Background: Body mass index (BMI) is inversely associated with mammographic density among postmenopausal women, but few studies have evaluated this in premenopausal women. Further, there is limited data on the associations of weight change during adulthood with mammographic density. To address these, we investigated the associations of current adiposity measures, BMI at ages 18, 30, and changes in BMI at these age periods with volumetric mammographic density measures in 314 premenopausal women who underwent screening mammogram at the Breast Health Center, Washington University in St. Louis, MO. Methods: Study participants completed a questionnaire with information on breast cancer risk factors. Weight at ages 18 and 30 were self-reported. Current weight, height, waist, and body fat percent (%), were assessed by trained research personnel. BMIs were calculated as weight at each age/current height squared (kg/m2). We calculated weight change from; (i) age 18 to 30, (ii) age 18 to current age, (iii) age 30 to current age. Volpara was used to determine volumetric mammographic density measures. We investigated age-adjusted correlations between adiposity measures and mammographic density measures using Pearson correlation coefficients. We used multivariable linear regression models (adjusted for age, age at menarche, parity, age at each birth, family history of breast cancer, race, and education) to evaluate the associations of adiposity measures with mammographic density measures. Results: All adiposity and weight change measures were significantly inversely associated with percent density (PD), and positively associated with breast volume (BV). The strongest inverse correlations with PD were observed for body fat % (r= -0.68, P&amp;lt;0.001), and waist (r= -62, P&amp;lt;0.001). For BV, the strongest positive correlations were observed for waist r=0.75, P&amp;lt;0.001) and current BMI (r=0.76, P&amp;lt;0.001). In multivariable regression models, body fat % had the strongest association with PD (beta coefficient (ß)= -0.50, P&amp;lt;0.001). BMI during the three time points were each inversely associated with PD, with BMI at age 18 having the largest beta coefficient (ß= - 0.50, P&amp;lt;0.001) compared with current BMI (ß= -0.45, P&amp;lt;0.001) and BMI at age 30 (ß= - 40, P&amp;lt;0.001). After controlling for BMI at age 18, weight gain at all time periods was associated with a decrease in PD and an increase in BV. The largest decrease in PD was observed for weight gain from age 18 to current age (ß= - 8.5, P&amp;lt;0.001) comparing women who gained &amp;gt;25kg to those who had stable weight (gained between 0-5kg) during this period. Conclusions: Weight gain in early adulthood is associated with reductions in PD and increases in BV in premenopausal women. Our findings highlight the need for mechanistic studies focusing on early adulthood to provide a better understanding of how adiposity relates to mammographic density, and possibly breast cancer development in premenopausal women. Citation Format: Aliya Alimujiang, Graham Colditz, Catherine Appleton, Adetunji T. Toriola. Adiposity, change in adiposity during adulthood and mammographic density in premenopausal women [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4248. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-4248

Calcium and vitamin D for increasing bone mineral density in premenopausal women

Calcium and vitamin D for increasing bone mineral density in premenopausal women

Increased breast tissue receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL) gene expression is associated with higher mammographic density in premenopausal women.

Increased mammographic breast density is associated with a 4–6-fold increased risk of breast cancer, yet lifestyle factors that can reduce dense breasts are yet to be identified, and viable prevention strategies to reduce breast density-associated breast cancer development are yet to be developed. We investigated the associations of breast tissue receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB (RANK) pathway gene expression with mammographic density in 48 premenopausal women, with no previous history of cancer. Gene expression levels were measured in total RNA isolated from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded breast tissue samples, using the NanoString nCounter platform. Mammographic density was classified based on the American College of Radiology Breast Imaging Reporting and Data (BI-RADS). Linear regression was used to evaluate associations between gene expression and mammographic density. The mean age of participants was 44.4 years. Women with higher breast tissue RANKL (TNFSF11) (p-value = 0.0076), and TNF (p-value = 0.007) gene expression had higher mammographic density. Our finding provides mechanistic support for a breast cancer chemoprevention trial with a RANKL inhibitor among high-risk premenopausal women with dense breasts.

Sample size and power determination when limited preliminary information is available

BackgroundWe describe a novel strategy for power and sample size determination developed for studies utilizing investigational technologies with limited available preliminary data, specifically of imaging biomarkers. We evaluated diffuse optical spectroscopic imaging (DOSI), an experimental noninvasive imaging technique that may be capable of assessing changes in mammographic density. Because there is significant evidence that tamoxifen treatment is more effective at reducing breast cancer risk when accompanied by a reduction of breast density, we designed a study to assess the changes from baseline in DOSI imaging biomarkers that may reflect fluctuations in breast density in premenopausal women receiving tamoxifen.MethodWhile preliminary data demonstrate that DOSI is sensitive to mammographic density in women about to receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer, there is no information on DOSI in tamoxifen treatment. Since the relationship between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and DOSI has been established in previous studies, we developed a statistical simulation approach utilizing information from an investigation of MRI assessment of breast density in 16 women before and after treatment with tamoxifen to estimate the changes in DOSI biomarkers due to tamoxifen.ResultsThree sets of 10,000 pairs of MRI breast density data with correlation coefficients of 0.5, 0.8 and 0.9 were simulated and generated and were used to simulate and generate a corresponding 5,000,000 pairs of DOSI values representing water, ctHHB, and lipid. Minimum sample sizes needed per group for specified clinically-relevant effect sizes were obtained.ConclusionThe simulation techniques we describe can be applied in studies of other experimental technologies to obtain the important preliminary data to inform the power and sample size calculations.

Adolescent fiber intake and mammographic breast density in premenopausal women.

BackgroundTo date, there is limited and inconsistent epidemiologic evidence for associations of adolescent diet with mammographic breast density, a strong and consistent predictor of breast cancer. We investigated the association of adolescent fiber intake with mammographic density in premenopausal women.MethodsThis study included 743 cancer-free premenopausal women (mean age, 44.9 years) within the Nurses’ Health Study II cohort. Percent breast density, absolute dense and non-dense areas were measured from digitized film mammograms using a computer-assisted thresholding technique. Adolescent and adult diet were assessed with a food frequency questionnaire; energy-adjusted nutrient intakes were estimated for each food item. Information regarding breast cancer risk factors was obtained from baseline or biennial questionnaires closest to the mammogram date. We used generalized linear regression to quantify associations between quartiles of adolescent fiber intake and each of the breast density measures, adjusted for potential confounders. Associations were examined separately for total fiber intake; fiber from fruits, vegetables, legumes, and cereal; and food sources of fiber (fruits, vegetables, and nuts).ResultsIn multivariable analyses, total fiber intake during adolescence was not associated with percent breast density (p for trend = 0.64), absolute dense area (p for trend = 0.80), or non-dense area (p for trend = 0.75). Similarly, neither consumption of fiber from fruits, vegetables, legumes, or cereal nor specific sources of fiber intake (fruits, vegetables, or nuts) during adolescence were associated with any of the mammographic density phenotypes.ConclusionsOur findings do not support the hypothesis that adolescent fiber intake is associated with premenopausal mammographic breast density.

Abstract 4346: Adolescent fiber intake and mammographic breast density in premenopausal women

Abstract Background: Some, but not all, previous studies have suggested that higher adolescent fiber intake may be associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer. Consistently, adolescent fiber intake has been suggested to reduce breast cancer risk in adulthood in some of the previous studies. To date, there is limited epidemiologic evidence that diet has a strong influence on mammographic density and inconsistency in results for specific dietary factors. While some earlier studies demonstrated an inverse association between adolescent fiber intake and breast density (defined as parenchymal patterns), a more recent study did not find significant associations. We investigated the associations of adolescent fiber intake with mammographic density, a strong and consistent predictor of breast cancer, in premenopausal women. This is by far the largest study that investigated these associations. Methods: This study included 743 premenopausal women within the Nurses’ Health II cohort with no history of breast or other cancer. Percent breast density, absolute dense and non-dense areas were measured from digitized film mammographic images using a computer-assisted thresholding technique. Adolescent and adult diet was assessed with a food frequency questionnaire and energy-adjusted nutrient intakes were estimated for each of the questionnaires. Information regarding breast cancer risk factors was obtained from baseline or biennial questionnaires, closest to the mammogram date. We used generalized linear regression to quantify associations between quartiles of adolescent fiber intake and each of the breast density measures, adjusting for age, body mass index, and other known and suspected predictors of mammographic density. Absolute measures were square root-transformed in analyses to improve normality. Associations were examined separately for total fiber intake; fiber from fruits, vegetables, legumes, and cereal; and food sources of fiber (fruits, vegetables, and nuts). Results: In multivariable analyses, total fiber intake during adolescence was not associated with percent breast density (p for trend = 0.64), absolute dense area (p for trend = 0.80), or non-dense area (p for trend = 0.75). Similarly, neither consumption of nuts, fruits, or vegetables nor specific sources of fiber intake (fruits, vegetables, legumes, or cereal) during adolescence were associated with any of the mammographic density phenotypes. Conclusions: Our findings do not support the hypothesis that adolescent fiber intake is associated with premenopausal mammographic density. If observed associations with breast cancer risk are causal, then the effect may not be mediated through mammographic density. Citation Format: Lusine Yaghjyan, Gabriella Ghita, Maryam Farvid, Bernard Rosner, Kimberly A. Bertrand, Rulla Tamimi. Adolescent fiber intake and mammographic breast density in premenopausal women. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 4346.

Influence of factors on mammographic density in premenopausal Chinese women.

Mammographic density is an independent strong risk factor for breast cancer. However, the influence of factors on mammographic density in premenopausal women remains unclear. In the Southern Professional Women Breast Cancer Screening Project, we assessed the associations between mammographic density and its influential factors using multivariate logistic regression in premenopausal women adjusting for BMI, age, duration of breastfeeding, number of live births, and breast size. A total of 1699 premenopausal women aged 27 to 57 years, who had been screened by mammography, were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Overall, 85.2% were categorized as having dense breasts (BI-RADS density 3 and 4) and 14.8% as having fatty breasts (BI-RADS density 1 and 2). In multivariate and logistic regression analysis, only BMI and age were significantly negatively correlated with mammographic density in premenopausal women (P<0.001). No significant associations between mammographic density and number of deliveries, breastfeeding duration, education level, family history of breast cancer, as well as breast size and sleep quality, were identified in the study. Age and BMI are negatively associated with mammographic density in premenopausal Chinese women. Information on the influential factors of mammographic density in premenopausal women might provide meaningful insights into breast cancer prevention.

The Effect of 12 Weeks of Training in Water, on Land and Combined Environment on Bone Mineral Density in Premenopausal Women

The Effect of 12 Weeks of Training in Water, on Land and Combined Environment on Bone Mineral Density in Premenopausal Women

Serum fibroblast growth factor 23, serum iron and bone mineral density in premenopausal women

Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) circulates as active protein and inactive fragments. Low iron status increases FGF23 gene expression, and iron deficiency is common. We hypothesized that in healthy premenopausal women, serum iron influences C-terminal and intact FGF23 concentrations, and that iron and FGF23 associate with bone mineral density (BMD). Serum iron, iron binding capacity, percent iron saturation, phosphorus, and other biochemistries were measured in stored fasting samples from healthy premenopausal white (n=1898) and black women (n=994), age 20-55years. Serum C-terminal and intact FGF23 were measured in a subset (1631 white and 296 black women). BMD was measured at the lumbar spine and femur neck. Serum phosphorus, calcium, alkaline phosphatase and creatinine were lower in white women than black women (p<0.001). Serum iron (p<0.0001) and intact FGF23 (p<0.01) were higher in white women. C-terminal FGF23 did not differ between races. Phosphorus correlated with intact FGF23 (white women, r=0.120, p<0.0001; black women r=0.163, p<0.01). However, phosphorus correlated with C-terminal FGF23 only in black women (r=0.157, p<0.01). Intact FGF23 did not correlate with iron. C-terminal FGF23 correlated inversely with iron (white women r=-0.134, p<0.0001; black women r=-0.188, p<0.01), having a steeper slope at iron <50mcg/dl than ≥50mcg/dl. Longitudinal changes in iron predicted changes in C-terminal FGF23. Spine BMD correlated with iron negatively (r=-0.076, p<0.01) in white women; femur neck BMD correlated with iron negatively (r=-0.119, p<0.0001) in black women. Both relationships were eliminated in weight-adjusted models. BMD did not correlate with FGF23. Serum iron did not relate to intact FGF23, but was inversely related to C-terminal FGF23. Intact FGF23 correlated with serum phosphorus. In weight-adjusted models, BMD was not related to intact FGF23, C-terminal FGF23 or iron. The influence of iron on FGF23 gene expression is not important in determining bone density in healthy premenopausal women.

Adolescent intake of animal fat and red meat in relation to premenopausal mammographic density.

Adolescence is hypothesized to be a time period of particular susceptibility to breast cancer risk factors. Red meat and fat intake during high school was positively associated with risk of breast cancer among premenopausal women in the Nurses' Health Study II (NHSII). High mammographic density is a strong predictor of breast cancer risk but there is limited research on dietary factors associated with breast density. To test the hypothesis that high intake of animal fat or red meat during adolescence is associated with mammographic density, we analyzed data from premenopausal women in the NHSII. Participants recalled adolescent diet on a high school food frequency questionnaire. We assessed absolute and percent mammographic density on digitized analog film mammograms for 687 premenopausal women with no history of cancer. We used generalized linear regression to quantify associations of adolescent animal fat and red meat intake with mammographic density, adjusting for age, body mass index, and other predictors of mammographic density. Adolescent animal fat intake was significantly positively associated with premenopausal mammographic density, with a mean percent density of 39.2 % in the lowest quartile of adolescent animal fat intake versus 43.1 % in the highest quartile (p trend: 0.03). A non-significant positive association was also observed for adolescent red meat intake (p trend: 0.14). These findings suggest that higher adolescent animal fat intake is weakly associated with percent mammographic density in premenopausal women.

Alcohol consumption, endogenous estrogen and mammographic density among premenopausal women.

IntroductionAlcohol consumption may promote aromatization of androgens to estrogens, which may partly explain the observations linking alcohol consumption to higher breast cancer risk. Whether alcohol consumption is associated with endogenous estrogen levels, and mammographic density phenotypes in premenopausal women remains unclear.MethodsAlcohol consumption was collected by self-report and interview, using semi quantitative food frequency questionnaires, and a food diary during seven days of a menstrual cycle among 202 premenopausal women, participating in the Energy Balance and Breast Cancer Aspects (EBBA) study I. Estrogen was assessed in serum and daily in saliva across an entire menstrual cycle. Computer-assisted mammographic density (Madena) was obtained from digitized mammograms taken between days 7–12 of the menstrual cycle. Multivariable regression models were used to investigate the associations between alcohol consumption, endogenous estrogen and mammographic density phenotypes.ResultsCurrent alcohol consumption was positively associated with endogenous estrogen, and absolute mammographic density. We observed 18 % higher mean salivary 17β-estradiol levels throughout the menstrual cycle, among women who consumed more than 10 g of alcohol per day compared to women who consumed less than 10 g of alcohol per day (p = 0.034). Long-term and past-year alcohol consumption was positively associated with mammographic density. We observed a positive association between alcohol consumption (past year) and absolute mammographic density; high alcohol consumers (≥7 drinks/week) had a mean absolute mammographic density of 46.17 cm2 (95 % confidence interval (CI) 39.39, 52.95), while low alcohol consumers (<1 drink/week) had a mean absolute mammographic density of 31.26 cm2 (95 % CI 25.89, 36.64) (p-trend 0.001). After adjustments, high consumers of alcohol (≥7 drinks/week), had 5.08 (95 % CI 1.82, 14.20) times higher odds of having absolute mammographic density above median (>32.4 cm2), compared to low (<1 drink/week) alcohol consumers.ConclusionAlcohol consumption was positively associated with daily endogenous estrogen levels and mammographic density in premenopausal women. These associations could point to an important area of breast cancer prevention.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13058-015-0620-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Impact exercise and bone density in premenopausal women with below average bone density for age.

To study the effects of two home-based impact exercise programs on areal bone mineral density (aBMD) in adult premenopausal women with below average aBMD for age (negative Z-scores; 40.8years; n=107). Two unilateral impact exercise programs were employed, one targeting the total hip and lumbar spine (n=42 pairs), the other the distal radius (n=24 pairs) with some individuals performing both. Force plate data were used to establish exercise loading characteristics (peak loads, time to peak), dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) provided bone data. Calcium intake, health and extraneous physical activity (PA) were determined by survey. Exercise for both hip and spine consisted of unilateral landings from adjustable steps (maximum height 63.5cm) while impacts were delivered to the forearm by arresting falls against a wall. An exercise log was used to provide the exercise prescription, record each exercise bout and any injuries. Participants were randomly assigned to exercise or control groups and pair-matched (age, BMI, Z-score, aBMD). Compliance was calculated as the number of sessions completed divided by the total prescribed number (mean ~50%). The programs delivered significant gains pre to post at each site compared with significant losses in controls (forearm: 3.9 vs -3.9%; total hip: 2.0 vs -2.6%; lumbar spine: 2.8 vs -2.9% exercise and controls, respectively, all p<0.001). No exerciser lost bone at the target site regardless of compliance which was strongly correlated with bone gains (R (2)=0.53-0.68, all p<0.001). Impact exercise provides an effective means of improving below average aBMD without supervision in this at risk population.