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Measured body size and serum estrogen metabolism in postmenopausal women: the Ghana Breast Health Study

  1. Author:
    Geczik, Ashley M
    Falk, Roni T
    Xu,Xia
    Ansong, Daniel
    Yarney, Joel
    Wiafe-Addai, Beatrice
    Edusei, Lawrence
    Dedey, Florence
    Vanderpuye, Verna
    Titiloye, Nicholas
    Adjei, Ernest
    Aitpillah, Francis
    Osei-Bonsu, Ernest
    Oppong, Joseph
    Biritwum, Richard
    Nyarko, Kofi
    Wiafe, Seth
    Awuah, Baffour
    Clegg-Lamptey, Joe-Nat
    Ahearn, Thomas U
    Figueroa, Jonine
    Garcia-Closas, Montserrat
    Brinton, Louise A
    Trabert, Britton [ORCID]
  2. Author Address

    Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health (NIH), DHSS, 9609 Medical Center Dr., Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA., Protein Characterization Laboratory, Leidos-Frederick, Inc., Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, USA., Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana., Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana., Peace and Love Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana., Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana., University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana., Loma Linda University, School of Public Health, Loma Linda, CA, USA., The University of Edinburgh, Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Center, Edinburgh, Scotland., Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health (NIH), DHSS, 9609 Medical Center Dr., Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA. britton.trabert@nih.gov.,
    1. Year: 2022
    2. Date: Jan 26
  1. Journal: Breast Cancer Research : BCR
    1. 24
    2. 1
  2. Type of Article: Article
  3. Article Number: 9
  4. ISSN: 1465-5411
  1. Abstract:

    Several anthropometric measures have been associated with hormone-related cancers, and it has been shown that estrogen metabolism in postmenopausal women plays an important role in these relationships. However, little is known about circulating estrogen levels in African women, and the relevance to breast cancer or breast cancer risk factors. To shed further light on the relationship of anthropometric factors and estrogen levels in African women, we examined whether measured body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), height, and self-reported body size were associated with serum estrogens/estrogen metabolites in a cross-sectional analysis among postmenopausal population-based controls of the Ghana Breast Health Study. Fifteen estrogens/estrogen metabolites were quantified using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in serum samples collected from postmenopausal female controls enrolled in the Ghana Breast Health Study, a population-based case-control study conducted in Accra and Kumasi. Geometric means (GMs) of estrogens/estrogen metabolites were estimated using linear regression, adjusting for potential confounders. Measured BMI (=?30 vs. 18.5-24.9 kg/m2) was positively associated with parent estrogens (multivariable adjusted GM for unconjugated estrone: 78.90 (66.57-93.53) vs. 50.89 (43.47-59.59), p-value?< ?0.0001; and unconjugated estradiol: 27.83 (21.47-36.07) vs. 13.26 (10.37-16.95), p-value?< ?0.0001). Independent of unconjugated estradiol, measured BMI was associated with lower levels of 2-pathway metabolites and higher levels of 16-ketoestradriol. Similar patterns of association were found with WHR; however, the associations were not entirely independent of BMI. Height was not associated with postmenopausal estrogens/estrogen metabolite levels in African women. We observed strong associations between measured BMI and parent estrogens and estrogen metabolite patterns that largely mirrored relations that have previously been associated with higher breast cancer risk in postmenopausal White women. The consistency of the BMI-estrogen metabolism associations in our study with those previously noted among White women suggests that estrogens likely explain part of the BMI-postmenopausal breast cancer risk in both groups. These findings merit evaluation in Black women, including prospective studies. © 2022. The Author(s).

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External Sources

  1. DOI: 10.1186/s13058-022-01500-8
  2. PMID: 35081987
  3. WOS: 000747138300001
  4. PII : 10.1186/s13058-022-01500-8

Library Notes

  1. Fiscal Year: FY2021-2022
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