In Utero Exposure to Dietary Methyl Nutrients and Breast Cancer Risk in Offspring

Abstract

Lipotropes (methionine, choline, folate, and vitamin B12) are dietary methyl donors and cofactors that are involved in one-carbon metabolism providing methyl groups for all biological methylation pathways. This study assessed the effect of maternal lipotrope supplementation on breast cancer risk of the offspring using chemically-induced mammary carcinogenesis. We hypothesize that lipotrope supplementation reduces breast cancer risk of the offspring by inducing an epigenetic imprint (memory) of the expression of genes involved in development and differentiation of mammary tissue. In a series of in vivo experiments, the latency period was significantly increased in offspring with maternal lipotrope supplementation (2.17 weeks, P=0.008). Moreover, maternal lipotrope diet significantly reduced tumor volume (P=0.007) and tumor number (P=0.001) in offspring. The results suggest that maternal dietary lipotrope may reduce breast cancer risk of offspring, and warrants further investigation for development of dietary strategies for breast cancer reduction.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 01, 2010
Accession Number
ADA536462

Entities

People

  • Chung S. Park

Organizations

  • North Dakota State University

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Biological Pigments
  • Body Weight
  • Breast Cancer
  • Dietary Supplements
  • Diseases And Disorders
  • Gene Expression
  • Genetics
  • Mammary Glands
  • Metabolism
  • Methionine
  • Methylation
  • Neoplasms
  • Public Health
  • Statistical Analysis
  • Vitamins

Readers

  • Molecular and genetic basis of cancer.
  • Neurological Diseases/Conditions/Disorders
  • Women's Health and Cancer Risk Research: African American Women and Pregnancy Outcomes.