"Our clinical data provide a more complete understanding of the mechanisms that connect obesity with breast cancer," said lead researcher Zeynep Madak-Erdogan in a press release, "and provides an opportunity to assess the ability of pathway-preferential estrogens to decrease breast cancer risk in obese postmenopausal women."
In a study in the journal Cancer Research, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign analyzed blood samples collected by the Susan G. Komen Tissue Bank and compared samples of healthy women with samples of blood of women who were healthy at the start of a Baltimore study, but later developed breast cancer. They looked for a variety of metabolites, which are signs of inflammation and cancer-related proteins.
They found that women who developed breast cancer, and women who were overweight or obese had significantly higher blood concentrations of five free fatty acids and glycerol, which are released as byproducts when fat tissue breaks down triglycerides.
In addition, the researchers analyzed the blood of 37 nonobese and 63 obese postmenopausal women, as well as samples from 21 postmenopausal women who had previously been obese, but had lost weight. All of the women were participants in the Midlife Women’s Health study, a long-term study of women ages 45-64 in the Baltimore area.
Among these women the researchers found that obese women’s levels of free fatty acids were significantly higher. Blood levels of all fatty acids fell significantly in the women who had lost a significant amount of weight.
The researchers then tested breast cancer cells exposed to the blood of obese women who were positive for the estrogen receptor. They found that the cancer cells grew and multiplied more rapidly as the fatty acids in the blood increased.
They found that women who developed breast cancer, and women who were overweight or obese had significantly higher blood concentrations of five free fatty acids and glycerol, which are released as byproducts when fat tissue breaks down triglycerides.
In addition, the researchers analyzed the blood of 37 nonobese and 63 obese postmenopausal women, as well as samples from 21 postmenopausal women who had previously been obese, but had lost weight. All of the women were participants in the Midlife Women’s Health study, a long-term study of women ages 45-64 in the Baltimore area.
Among these women the researchers found that obese women’s levels of free fatty acids were significantly higher. Blood levels of all fatty acids fell significantly in the women who had lost a significant amount of weight.
The researchers then tested breast cancer cells exposed to the blood of obese women who were positive for the estrogen receptor. They found that the cancer cells grew and multiplied more rapidly as the fatty acids in the blood increased.
No comments:
Post a Comment