Intake of dietary carbohydrates in early adulthood and adolescence and breast density among young women

Abstract

Purpose: Carbohydrate intake increases postprandial insulin secretion and may affect breast density, a strong risk factor for breast cancer, early in life. We examined associations of adolescent and early adulthood intakes of total carbohydrates, glycemic index/load, fiber, and simple sugars with breast density among 182 young women.

Methods: Diet was assessed using three 24-h recalls at each of five Dietary Intervention Study in Children (DISC) clinic visits when participants were age 10-19 years and at the DISC06 Follow-Up Study clinic visit when participants were age 25-29 years. Associations between energy-adjusted carbohydrates and MRI-measured percent dense breast volume (%DBV) and absolute dense breast volume (ADBV) at 25-29 years were quantified using multivariable-adjusted mixed-effects linear models.

Results: Adolescent sucrose intakes and premenarcheal total carbohydrates intakes were modestly associated with higher %DBV (mean %DBVQ1 vs Q4, 16.6 vs 23.5% for sucrose; and 17.2 vs 22.3% for premenarcheal total carbohydrates, all Ptrend ≤ 0.02), but not with ADBV. However, adolescent intakes of fiber and fructose were not associated with %DBV and ADBV. Early adulthood intakes of total carbohydrates, glycemic index/load, fiber, and simple sugars were not associated with %DBV and ADBV.

Conclusions: Insulinemic carbohydrate diet during puberty may be associated with adulthood breast density, but our findings need replication in larger studies. Clinical Trials Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier, NCT00458588 April 9, 2007; NCT00000459 October 27, 1999.

Keywords: Absolute dense breast volume; Absolute non-dense breast volume; Breast cancer; Breast density; Carbohydrate; Fiber; Fructose; Glycemic index; Glycemic load; Sucrose; Timing of exposure; Young women.