title: [High frequency of chromosome aberrations observed in lymphocytes in postmenopausal obese women].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Epidemiological studies indicate that obesity is associated with an increased risk of 20-25% with several types of cancer.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The frequency of chromosome aberrations was evaluated in lymphocytes from postmenopausal obese and non-obese women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty obese and 20 non-obese women, all post-menopause, were recruited. The groups were matched according to age (± 5 years) and place of origin. After signing the consent form, women were interviewed using a structured questionnaire, and a blood sample (5 ml) was drawn into vacutainer tubes. From each sample, lymphocyte cell cultures were established with and without mitomycin C (challenge assay). Afterwards, the frequency of chromosome aberrations were recorded for each group and treatment. Data were analyzed using the statistical program SPSS, v. 14.0.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Obese women had a higher frequency of chromosome aberrations when compared with non-obese women. After exposing the cell cultures to mitomycin C, obese women presented an increase in the number of total chromosome aberrations in comparison to non-obese women (3.7± 0.6 vs. 2.70±0.6; p=0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The higher frequency of chromosome aberrations in lymphocytes from postmenopausal obese women compared to non-obese women suggested differences in the DNA repair capacity. This may indicate an association between genomic instability and the higher incidence of cancer in this population.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Genética Humana, Departamento de Ciencias Fisiológicas, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad del Cauca, Popayán, Colombia.
authors.forename: Yaliana
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tafurt-Cardona
authors.forename: Leidy D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Jaramillo-Ruiz
authors.forename: Wilson
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Muñoz-Ordóñez
authors.forename: Sulma L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Muñoz-Benítez
authors.forename: Carlos H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Sierra-Torres
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002478:Cells, Cultured / Q000187:drug effects / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations; D002877:Chromosomes, Human / Q000187:drug effects / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003105:Colombia; D004260:DNA Repair; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D042822:Genomic Instability; D006728:Hormones / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*; D017584:Reproductive History; D012424:Rural Population; D014505:Urban Population
chemical_list: D006728:Hormones