Consumption of animal products, their nutrient components and postmenopausal circulating steroid hormone concentrations

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Little is known about nutritional factors that influence circulating concentrations of steroid hormones, which are consistently associated with risk of breast cancer for postmenopausal women. We aimed to investigate the association between consumption of animal products and the plasma concentrations of steroid hormones and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG). Subjects/Methods: Cross-sectional analysis was conducted on plasma from 766 naturally postmenopausal women. We measured plasma concentrations of steroid hormones and SHBG, and estimated dietary intakes using a 121-item food frequency questionnaire. Log-transformed values of hormone concentrations were regressed on quartiles of intake of meat and dairy products among food items, and fats, proteins and cholesterol among nutrient intake. Results: Total red and fresh red meat consumption was negatively associated with SHBG levels (P for trend ¼ 0.04 and o0.01, respectively). Mean SHBG concentrations were B8% and 13% lower for women in the highest quartile compared with the lowest quartile of total red and fresh red meat consumption, respectively. Positive associations were observed between dairy product consumption and total and free estradiol concentrations (P for trend ¼ 0.02 and 0.03, respectively). Mean concentrations of total and free estradiol were 15 and 14% higher for women in the highest quartile of dairy product consumption than for those in the lowest quartile, respectively. No associations were observed with consumption of processed meat, chicken, fish, eggs, cholesterol, fats or protein.Conclusions: Our study suggests that greater consumption of total red and fresh red meat and dairy products might influence circulating concentrations of SHBG and estradiol, respectively. Confirmation and further investigation is required.

A Meat, Processed Meat, and French Fries Dietary Pattern Is Associated with High Allostatic Load in Puerto Rican Older Adults

“…Also, cholesterol is a precursor for several androgens, and high cholesterol content in meat may influence DHEA-S production, but no studies have confirmed this. In a cross-sectional study of postmenopausal Australian women by Brinkman et al ., significant negative associations were observed between total red and fresh red meat consumption and circulating concentrations of sex-hormone binding globulin, but not with DHEA-S; none of the types of fat nor cholesterol intake were associated with sex hormones (36). Finally, low DHEA-S may indicate adrenal cortex dysfunction, and has been observed in people with cancer, CVD, Alzheimer’s disease, other age-related and immune function disorders (37).…”

Racial disparities in red meat and poultry intake and breast cancer risk

“…Exposure to meat-derived mutagens has also been observed to be significantly correlated with DNA adducts in breast tissue, potentially leading to unrepaired DNA damage and carcinogenesis (52). A cross-sectional analysis found mean plasma concentrations of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) to be lower with higher intakes of total and fresh red meat (53). Lower SHBG levels correspond with increased bioavailability of estradiol (54, 55).…”

A dietary pattern derived to correlate with estrogens and risk of postmenopausal breast cancer

“…However, data on the potential influence of food on estrogen levels in post-menopausal women is scarce. There are suggestions that a higher fiber [2] intake and adherence to the Mediterranean diet [3] may be associated with lower estradiol levels, while higher milk [4] intake may be associated with higher levels. In the Nurses’ Health Study, we previously found that the Alternate Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) was associated with lower levels of estradiol among overweight post-menopausal women [5].…”