Thursday, October 14, 2004

The way a girl grows during her early years may influence her risk of breast cancer.

A Danish study of more than 117,000 women found those born chubby, but who went on to become tall and lean teenagers had the highest risk.

The biological reason for the increased risk is unclear, but the study suggests breast tissue cells may be sensitive during early periods of rapid growth.

Details are published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Interesting theory. I’ve often wondered if there’s a correlation between adolescents who take the Pill and breast cancer because a lot of teenaged girls are put on the Pill to regulate their periods. I can’t help but wonder if the hormones in the Pill affect the developing adolescent body.

Anyway, the article continues with some interesting things.

They found that a higher risk of breast cancer was associated with:

High birth weight

Rapid growth around the time of mammary gland development

Being tall

Having low body-mass-index during adolescence

They calculated that girls who were about five feet six inches tall (167.5 cm) by age 14 were 50% more likely to develop breast cancer later in life than girls who were just under five feet (152 cm) tall at the same age.

The researchers also found that newborn girls who weighed more than 8.75 pounds (4 kg) were on average 17% more likely to develop the disease later in life than those who weighed about 5.5 pounds (2.5 kg).

The lower a girl’s BMI - a measure of weight relative to height - at age 14, the higher her risk of breast cancer.

And the younger a girl had her peak growth period, the higher her later risk of disease.