Ethnic differences in post-menopausal plasma oestrogen levels: high oestrone levels in Japanese-American women despite low weight.
Breast cancer incidence in Japanese-American women is approaching that of US Whites. We investigated whether this shift is paralleled by similar post-menopausal plasma hormone levels in the two ethnic groups. We also included African-American and Latina women to further our understanding of possible ethnic differences in oestrogen metabolism. We measured androstenedione (A), oestrone (E1) and oestradiol (E2) in 30 Japanese-American, 39 non-Latina White ('White'), 66 African-American and 58 Latina women. The (age-adjusted) geometric mean E1 levels were 34 pg ml(-1) in Japanese-Americans, 28 pg ml(-1) in Whites, 35 pg ml(-1) in African-Americans and 31 pg ml(-1) in Latinas. After adjustment for body mass index, Japanese-Americans had the highest mean E1 value of all groups and this was statistically significantly greater than the value for Whites (P(t-test) = 0.05). The geometric mean A concentrations were also highest in Japanese-Americans. There was little ethnic difference in E2 levels. In conclusion, post-menopausal plasma oestrogen levels in Japanese-American women are at least as high as those in Whites.
Probst-Hensch
N M
NM
Department of Preventive Medicine, USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles 90033, USA.
Pike
M C
MC
McKean-Cowdin
R
R
Stanczyk
F Z
FZ
Kolonel
L N
LN
Henderson
B E
BE
D000368:Aged; D001213:Asian; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004967:Estrogens / Q000097:blood*; D004970:Estrone / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000208:ethnology; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause
D004967:Estrogens; D004970:Estrone