Weight gain in infancy and cancer of the ovary.
The geographic association between ovarian cancer and tall stature suggests a link with rapid growth in early childhood. Among 5585 women born in Hertfordshire, UK, 41 who died from ovarian cancer had had a high rate of weight gain in infancy. Whereas their mean birthweight was the same as that of the other women, their mean weight at 1 year was higher (22.3 pounds [10.1 kg] vs 21.4 pounds [9.7 kg], p = 0.01). These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that ovarian cancer is linked to altered patterns of gonadotropin release established in utero when the fetal hypothalamus is imprinted.
Barker
D J
DJ
MRC Environmental Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton, Southampton General Hospital, UK.
Winter
P D
PD
Osmond
C
C
Phillips
D I
DI
Sultan
H Y
HY
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D006062:Gonadotropins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008875:Middle Aged; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality*; D012307:Risk Factors; D015430:Weight Gain
D006062:Gonadotropins