Search

Background: Height and BMI are risk factors for several types of cancer and may be related to circulating concentrations of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), a peptide associated with increased cancer risk. Aim: To assess the associations between height, BMI and serum concentrations of IGF-I and IGF binding protein (IGFBP)-1, -2 and -3. Subjects and methods: This cross-sectional analysis included 1142 men and 3589 women aged 32--77 years from the multi-centre study, the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). Results: In men, there was a positive association between height and IGF-I; each 10  cm increment in height was associated with an increase in IGF-I concentrations of 4.3% (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.3--7.5%, p for trend  ==  0.005), but this association was not statistically significant for women (0.9%, 95% CI: −−  0.7 to 2.6%, p for trend  ==  0.264). In both men and women, the association between IGF-I and BMI was non-linear and those with a BMI of 26--27  kg/m2 had the highest IGF-I concentration. BMI was strongly inversely related to concentrations of IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-2 in men and in women ( p for trend for all <  0.001). Conclusion: Height and BMI are associated with IGF-I and its binding proteins, which may be mechanisms through which body size contributes to increased risk of several cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soy beans contain high levels of the isoflavones genistein and daidzein and their glycosides and have been implicated in the prevention of prostate cancer, possibly via their effects on sex hormone metabolism. The aim of this study was to assess the relation between dietary soy intake and sex hormone levels in a cross-sectional analysis of 696 men with a wide range of soy intakes. Soy milk intake was measured using a validated semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire, and serum hormone concentrations were measured by immunoassay. Multiple regression was used to investigate the association between soy milk intake, an index of isoflavone intake, and hormone levels after adjustment for pertinent confounders. Soy milk intake was not associated with serum concentrations of testosterone, free testosterone, androstanediol glucuronide, sex hormone-binding globulin, or luteinizing hormone. These results suggest that soy milk intake, as a marker of isoflavone intake, is not associated with serum sex hormone concentrations among free-living Western men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]