Published online October 1, 2007
PEDIATRICS Vol. 120 No. 4 October 2007, pp. 925-926 (doi:10.1542/peds.2007-2010)
This Article
Right arrow Extract Freely available
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow P3Rs: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when P3Rs are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Lee, J. M.
Right arrow Articles by Lumeng, J. C.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Lee, J. M.
Right arrow Articles by Lumeng, J. C.
Related Collections
Right arrow Nutrition & Metabolism

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Unsuspected Consequences of the Adolescent Overweight Epidemic: In Reply

Joyce M. Lee, MD, MPH
Pediatric Endocrinology,
Child Health Evaluation and Research Unit

Niko Kaciroti, PhD
Center for Human Growth and Development,
University of Michigan,
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0456

Robert F. Corwyn, PhD
Department of Psychology

Robert H. Bradley, PhD
Center for Applied Studies in Education,
University of Arkansas,
Little Rock, AR 72204

Julie C. Lumeng, MD
Child Behavioral Health,
Department of Pediatrics
Center for Human Growth and Development,
University of Michigan,
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0456

We appreciate the letter from Mesrine et al regarding our article linking weight status at a young age with earlier onset of puberty,1 which cited previous literature that linked early puberty to higher rates of breast cancer.2 Mesrine et al highlight the findings of a recent study that evaluated the association of age at menarche and adiposity with breast cancer risk in a French cohort of women.3 In the overall population, higher rates of breast cancer were associated with early age at menarche,3 which is consistent with previous literature.2 However, this study also found that after adjustment for age at menarche, the greater the adiposity during childhood, the lower the relative risk of breast cancer compared with normal-weight individuals, which suggests that there may be a protective effect of childhood obesity on breast cancer risk.3

Our study focused on the link between weight status in early childhood and timing of puberty, and although we did cite previous literature that linked early puberty with higher rates of breast cancer, we were not suggesting that our study provided evidence for a link between childhood obesity and breast cancer. We agree with Mesrine et al that additional studies need to be performed to fully explore the long-term effects of childhood obesity and, in particular, how obesity may act as an effect modifier on the association between timing of pubertal onset and the risk for breast cancer. Despite the possible protective effects of childhood obesity on breast cancer risk, the health risks associated with obesity in childhood, including development of type 2 diabetes,4 hypertension,5 hyperlipidemia,5,6 and polycystic ovarian syndrome,7 suggest the need for public health programs for prevention of childhood obesity. However, the paradoxical association between childhood obesity and lower breast cancer risk does raise important research questions that may lead to a better understanding of the mechanisms of breast cancer risk and the long-term effects of weight status during childhood.

REFERENCES

  1. Lee JM, Appugliese D, Kaciroti N, Corwyn RF, Bradley RH, Lumeng JC. Weight status in young girls and the onset of puberty [published correction appears in Pediatrics. 2007;120:251]. Pediatrics. 2007;119(3) . Available at: www.pediatrics.org/cgi/content/full/119/3/e624
  2. Stoll BA. Western diet, early puberty, and breast cancer risk. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 1998;49 :187 –193[CrossRef][ISI][Medline]
  3. Tehard B, Kaaks R, Clavel-Chapelon F. Body silhouette, menstrual function at adolescence and breast cancer risk in the E3N cohort study. Br J Cancer. 2005;92 :2042 –2048[CrossRef][ISI][Medline]
  4. Fagot-Campagna A, Pettitt DJ, Engelgau MM, et al. Type 2 diabetes among North American children and adolescents: an epidemiologic review and a public health perspective. J Pediatr. 2000;136 :664 –672[CrossRef][ISI][Medline]
  5. Flynn JT, Alderman MH. Characteristics of children with primary hypertension seen at a referral center. Pediatr Nephrol. 2005;20 :961 –966[CrossRef][ISI][Medline]
  6. Freedman DS, Dietz WH, Srinivasan SR, Berenson GS. The relation of overweight to cardiovascular risk factors among children and adolescents: the Bogalusa Heart Study. Pediatrics. 1999;103 :1175 –1182[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  7. Lewy VD, Danadian K, Witchel SF, Arslanian S. Early metabolic abnormalities in adolescent girls with polycystic ovarian syndrome. J Pediatr. 2001;138 :38 –44[CrossRef][ISI][Medline]
PEDIATRICS (ISSN 1098-4275). ©2007 by the American Academy of Pediatrics




This Article
Right arrow Extract Freely available
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow P3Rs: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when P3Rs are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Lee, J. M.
Right arrow Articles by Lumeng, J. C.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Lee, J. M.
Right arrow Articles by Lumeng, J. C.
Related Collections
Right arrow Nutrition & Metabolism