This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in JAMA  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

Stephanie J. London, MD; Graham A. Colditz, MBBS; Meir J. Stampfer, MD; Walter C. Willett, MD; Bernard Rosner, PhD; Frank E. Speizer, MD

JAMA. 1989;262(20):2853-2858.

Abstract
We examined relative weight and height in relation to subsequent breast cancer risk among 115 534 women 30 to 55 years of age and free from cancer in 1976. By 1984, six hundred fifty-eight premenopausal and 420 postmenopausal breast cancers were documented during 734 716 person-years. Among premenopausal women, risk of breast cancer decreased significantly with increasing relative weight (relative risk for the highest category was 0.6). A similar inverse association was seen for recalled relative weight at 18 years of age. Postmenopausal breast cancer was not associated with relative weight, either recent or at age 18. Height was not associated with breast cancer risk among premenopausal women and only weakly related among postmenopausal women. These data suggest that obesity among premenopausal and early postmenopausal women does not increase breast cancer risk substantially.

(JAMA. 1989;262:2853-2858)

Author Affiliations
From the Departments of Epidemiology (Drs London, Stampfer, and Willett) and Nutrition (Dr Willett), Harvard School of Public Health; and the Channing Laboratory (Drs Colditz, Stampfer, Willett, and Speizer) and the Departments of Medicine and Preventive Medicine (Dr Rosner), Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Mass.

Footnotes
Reprint requests to the Channing Laboratory, 180 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115 (Dr Willett).

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati     What's this?

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Height and Site-specific Cancer Risk: A Cohort Study of a Korean Adult Population
Sung et al.
Am J Epidemiol 2009;170:53-64.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Genetic Polymorphisms Involved in Insulin-like Growth Factor (IGF) Pathway in Relation to Mammographic Breast Density and IGF Levels
Diorio et al.
Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev. 2008;17:880-888.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Relation of insulin-like growth factor (IGF) I and IGF-binding protein 3 concentrations with intakes of fruit, vegetables, and antioxidants
Tran et al.
Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 2006;84:1518-1526.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Influence of Insulin-like Growth Factors on the Strength of the Relation of Vitamin D and Calcium Intakes to Mammographic Breast Density
Diorio et al.
Cancer Res. 2006;66:588-597.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Role of Lipid Peroxidation in the Epidemiology and Prevention of Breast Cancer
Gago-Dominguez et al.
Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev. 2005;14:2829-2839.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Early Life Factors and Incidence of Proliferative Benign Breast Disease
Baer et al.
Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev. 2005;14:2889-2897.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Levels of C-Peptide and Mammographic Breast Density
Diorio et al.
Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev. 2005;14:2661-2664.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Body Size Changes in Relation to Postmenopausal Breast Cancer among Women on Long Island, New York
Eng et al.
Am J Epidemiol 2005;162:229-237.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Vitamin D and Calcium Intakes from Food or Supplements and Mammographic Breast Density
Berube et al.
Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev. 2005;14:1653-1659.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I, IGF-Binding Protein-3, and Mammographic Breast Density
Diorio et al.
Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev. 2005;14:1065-1073.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Association of Body Composition and Weight History with Breast Cancer Prognostic Markers: Divergent Pattern for Hispanic and Non-Hispanic White Women
Baumgartner et al.
Am J Epidemiol 2004;160:1087-1097.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Vitamin D, Calcium, and Mammographic Breast Densities
Berube et al.
Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev. 2004;13:1466-1472.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

A Prospective Study of Body Size in Different Periods of Life and Risk of Premenopausal Breast Cancer
Weiderpass et al.
Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev. 2004;13:1121-1127.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Weight Gain, Body Mass Index, Hormone Replacement Therapy, and Postmenopausal Breast Cancer in a Large Prospective Study
Feigelson et al.
Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev. 2004;13:220-224.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Dietary Fat, Fat Subtypes, and Breast Cancer Risk: Lack of an Association among Postmenopausal Women with No History of Benign Breast Disease
Byrne et al.
Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev. 2002;11:261-265.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Bone Mass and Breast Cancer Risk in Older Women: Differences by Stage at Diagnosis
Zmuda et al.
JNCI J Natl Cancer Inst 2001;93:930-936.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Body Mass Index, Height, and Prostate Cancer Mortality in Two Large Cohorts of Adult Men in the United States
Rodriguez et al.
Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev. 2001;10:345-353.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Diet and Cancer
Willett
The Oncologist 2000;5:393-404.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Pooled Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies on Height, Weight, and Breast Cancer Risk
van den Brandt et al.
Am J Epidemiol 2000;152:514-527.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Anthropometric variables in relation to risk of breast cancer in middle-aged women
Li et al.
Int J Epidemiol 2000;29:208-213.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Randomized Trial of Fenretinide to Prevent Second Breast Malignancy in Women With Early Breast Cancer
Veronesi et al.
JNCI J Natl Cancer Inst 1999;91:1847-1856.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Tamoxifen, Raloxifene, and the Prevention of Breast Cancer
Jordan and Morrow
Endocr. Rev. 1999;20:253-278.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Dual Effects of Weight and Weight Gain on Breast Cancer Risk
Huang et al.
JAMA 1997;278:1407-1411.
ABSTRACT  

Anthropometry and Breast Cancer
Ziegler
J. Nutr. 1997;127 :924S-924S.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Breast Cancer Among Radiologic Technologists
Boice et al.
JAMA 1995;274:394-401.
ABSTRACT  

The Use of Estrogens and Progestins and the Risk of Breast Cancer in Postmenopausal Women
Colditz et al.
NEJM 1995;332:1589-1593.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Breast Size as a Risk Factor for Sternal Wound Complications Following Cardiac Surgery
Copeland et al.
Arch Surg 1994;129:757-759.
ABSTRACT  

Breast-Feeding and Breast Cancer
London et al.
NEJM 1994;330:1682-1684.
FULL TEXT  

The Effect of Gastric Bypass Surgery on Hypertension in Morbidly Obese Patients
Carson et al.
Arch Intern Med 1994;154:193-200.
ABSTRACT  

Family History, Age, and Risk of Breast Cancer: Prospective Data From the Nurses' Health Study
Colditz et al.
JAMA 1993;270:338-343.
ABSTRACT  

Prospective Study of Estrogen Replacement Therapy and Risk of Breast Cancer in Postmenopausal Women
Colditz et al.
JAMA 1990;264:2648-2653.
ABSTRACT  

Relative Weight, Height, and Risk of Breast Cancer
Albanes and Brown
JAMA 1990;263:3148-3148.
ABSTRACT