WASHINGTON, DC -- A study in the August issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology finds that a high body mass index (BMI) in adolescence is associated with an increased risk of premenopausal ovarian cancer. These findings suggest an additional reason to be concerned about the increasing incidence of adolescent obesity.
Researchers assessed the records of 109,445 participants in the Nurses Health Study, looking at their current weight, weight at age 18, and adult weight change in relation to ovarian cancer risks. Obesity at age 18 was associated with a two-fold higher risk of premenopausal ovarian cancer, particularly among women who never used oral contraception, which is known to decrease ovarian cancer risk. However, adolescent BMI was not associated with postmenopausal cancer, nor did researchers find evidence of an association between a woman's recent BMI or adult weight change and ovarian cancer.
The study authors note that obese adolescents have higher levels of endogenous androgens (male hormones produced naturally in the body), supporting the hypothesis that endogenous androgens increase ovarian cancer risk. The physiological effects of obesity, related to a woman's endogenous hormonal balance, appear to be different in the ovulating as opposed to the non-ovulating ovary.
Contact: Kathleen M. Fairfield, MD, DrPH, Channing Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, at [email protected].