1. Environmental Exposures during Puberty: Window of Breast Cancer Risk and Epigenetic Damage
- Author
-
Rama Natarajan, Tarik Benmarhnia, Stacey N. Doan, Cristal Resto, Jerneja Tomsic, Dana Aljaber, Christine Thai, Eric C. Dietze, Marta M. Jankowska, Jiue-An Yang, Veronica Jones, Alan Nunez, Tanya A. Chavez, Dawn Au, Angelica Sanchez, Robert D. Cardiff, Mayra Serrano, Christopher Sistrunk, Victoria L. Seewaldt, and Jeannine S. McCune
- Subjects
Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis ,lcsh:Medicine ,Review ,Toxicology ,Epigenesis, Genetic ,breast cancer risk ,0302 clinical medicine ,Risk Factors ,Residence Characteristics ,2.2 Factors relating to the physical environment ,Aetiology ,Cancer ,Pediatric ,0303 health sciences ,Environmental Carcinogen ,Human studies ,3. Good health ,030220 oncology & carcinogenesis ,Female ,Contaminated air ,Disease Susceptibility ,environment ,Refined sugar ,Physiological ,Nutritional Status ,Breast Neoplasms ,Stress ,03 medical and health sciences ,Breast cancer ,Effective interventions ,Genetic ,Stress, Physiological ,Environmental health ,Breast Cancer ,medicine ,Humans ,Epigenetics ,Obesity ,030304 developmental biology ,business.industry ,Prevention ,lcsh:R ,Puberty ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Environmental Exposure ,medicine.disease ,Disadvantaged ,empowerment ,Psychological ,business ,Stress, Psychological ,Epigenesis - Abstract
During puberty, a woman’s breasts are vulnerable to environmental damage (“window of vulnerability”). Early exposure to environmental carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, and unhealthy foods (refined sugar, processed fats, food additives) are hypothesized to promote molecular damage that increases breast cancer risk. However, prospective human studies are difficult to perform and effective interventions to prevent these early exposures are lacking. It is difficult to prevent environmental exposures during puberty. Specifically, young women are repeatedly exposed to media messaging that promotes unhealthy foods. Young women living in disadvantaged neighborhoods experience additional challenges including a lack of access to healthy food and exposure to contaminated air, water, and soil. The purpose of this review is to gather information on potential exposures during puberty. In future directions, this information will be used to help elementary/middle-school girls to identify and quantitate environmental exposures and develop cost-effective strategies to reduce exposures.
- Published
- 2020