Research Type: Breast Cancer
Project Description
Obesity is a major risk factor for different cancers, but little is known about how obesity at early ages may impact cancer, specifically breast cancer. We know that denser breasts are more likely to develop breast cancer. We want to understand how trajectories of obesity between the ages of 4 and 19 may affect the composition of the breast at 19 and the impact of hormones. To do so, we will study previously collected data on body fatness, blood samples and breast density in 325 girls in the Chilean Growth and Obesity Study. Understanding how body fatness at early ages affects breast density and the mechanisms involved in this association will contribute to the development of public health policies to reduce adult breast cancer risk.
