Maternal butter intake increases BPA tumor-promoting effects in pups

Posted: July 29, 2017

Study:	Maternal high butter fat intake heightens mammary cancer risk in offsprings gestationally exposed to bisphenol A at environmentally relevant dose Cite Leung Y, Govindarajah V, Cheong A, Song D, Zhu X, Ying J, et al. Abstract 4826: Maternal high butter fat intake heightens mammary cancer risk in offsprings gestationally exposed to bisphenol A at environmentally relevant dose. Tumor Biology. American Association for Cancer Research; 2017; 10.1158/1538-7445.am2017-4826
Conference:	American Association for Cancer Research 2017 Annual Meeting

Study:

Maternal high butter fat intake heightens mammary cancer risk in offsprings gestationally exposed to bisphenol A at environmentally relevant dose Cite

Leung Y, Govindarajah V, Cheong A, Song D, Zhu X, Ying J, et al. Abstract 4826: Maternal high butter fat intake heightens mammary cancer risk in offsprings gestationally exposed to bisphenol A at environmentally relevant dose. Tumor Biology. American Association for Cancer Research; 2017; 10.1158/1538-7445.am2017-4826

Conference:

American Association for Cancer Research 2017 Annual Meeting

Maternal butter increases effects of BPA in offspring

Butter fat consumption and exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) both have been linked to increased breast cancer risk. Butter consumption during adolescence is associated with higher breast cancer risk in adulthood. The use of butter in soups or sauces, for frying food, and at the dinner table all have been linked to higher risk of breast cancer.

High intake of full-fat dairy products such as milk and cheese was found to be a significant factor for heightened breast cancer risk among Iranian women in one study. Butter, ghee, full-fat cheeses (cheddar, Swiss), and heavy cream are the most abundant sources of butter fat. Half and half, ice cream, and whole milk are also significant sources.

The endocrine disruptor BPA is one of the highest-volume chemicals produced worldwide; it can be detected in the body fluids of more than 90% of the human population. BPA is a common industrial chemical that leaches from food containers during normal usage, which leads to human exposure.

Butter heightens BPA's impact on rat pup mammary glands

The study referenced at the beginning of this news story was designed to investigate the potentially additive effects of concurrent gestational exposure to butter fat and BPA on mammary tumor risk in a rat model of breast cancer. To conduct the study, the authors exposed Sprague Dawley rats to various doses of BPA (2.5-2500μg per kg body weight) along with a high butter-based diet from before conception to birth. Another set of rats were exposed only to the butter diet.

BPA-induced tumor incidence and number of mammary gland terminal end buds were found to increase in the presence of the butter diet. Both results peaked at a dosage of 25μg/kg body weight BPA (among the lowest dosages studied). The authors also analyzed the expression of genes in mammary tissue samples of both the BPA (25ug/kg BW) group and the butter diet alone group. This examination determined that two specific cancer networks (involving extracellular-signal-related kinase (ERK) and androgen receptor (AR) signaling) were dysregulated, apparently through DNA methylation. These results suggest changes in gene expression during early development that predispose cancer risk.

The authors conclude that BPA predisposes mammary glands in early development to higher cancer risk by dysregulating gene expression in the presence of the butter diet, potentially facilitating cancer development in adulthood.

Please see our articles on BPA and the prenatal period and infancy for more information.

Selected breast cancer studies

Nutritional metabolomics and breast cancer risk in a prospective study Cite
Playdon MC, Ziegler RG, Sampson JN, Stolzenberg-Solomon R, Thompson HJ, Irwin ML, et al. Nutritional metabolomics and breast cancer risk in a prospective study. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Oxford University Press (OUP); 2017; 106:637-649 10.3945/ajcn.116.150912
Perinatal Exposure to Bisphenol A or Diethylstilbestrol Increases the Susceptibility to Develop Mammary Gland Lesions After Estrogen Replacement Therapy in Middle-Aged Rats Cite
Gomez AL, Delconte MB, Altamirano GA, Vigezzi L, Bosquiazzo VL, Barbisan LF, et al. Perinatal Exposure to Bisphenol A or Diethylstilbestrol Increases the Susceptibility to Develop Mammary Gland Lesions After Estrogen Replacement Therapy in Middle-Aged Rats. Hormones and Cancer. Springer Science and Business Media LLC; 2017; 8:78-89 10.1007/s12672-016-0282-1
Higher dermal exposure of cashiers to BPA and its association with DNA oxidative damage Cite
Lv Y, Lu S, Dai Y, Rui C, Wang Y, Zhou Y, et al. Higher dermal exposure of cashiers to BPA and its association with DNA oxidative damage. Environment International. Elsevier BV; 2017; 98:69-74 10.1016/j.envint.2016.10.001
Abstract B31: In utero exposure to bisphenol A induces reprogramming of mammary development and tumor risk in MMTV-erbB-2 transgenic mice Cite
Ma Z, Parris A, Yang X. Abstract B31: In utero exposure to bisphenol A induces reprogramming of mammary development and tumor risk in MMTV-erbB-2 transgenic mice. Other Topics. American Association for Cancer Research; 2016; 10.1158/1557-3125.devbiolca15-b31
In utero exposure of rats to high-fat diets perturbs gene expression profiles and cancer susceptibility of prepubertal mammary glands Cite
Govindarajah V, Leung Y, Ying J, Gear R, Bornschein RL, Medvedovic M, et al. In utero exposure of rats to high-fat diets perturbs gene expression profiles and cancer susceptibility of prepubertal mammary glands. The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry. Elsevier BV; 2016; 29:73-82 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2015.11.003
Dietary Habits Contributing to Breast Cancer Risk Among Iranian Women Cite
Mobarakeh ZS, Mirzaei K, Hatmi N, Ebrahimi M, Dabiran S, Sotoudeh G. Dietary Habits Contributing to Breast Cancer Risk Among Iranian Women. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention. Asian Pacific Organization for Cancer Prevention; 2014; 15:9543-9547 10.7314/apjcp.2014.15.21.9543
Bisphenol A Concentration in Breast Milk following Consumption of a Canned Coffee Drink Cite
Tateoka Y. Bisphenol A Concentration in Breast Milk following Consumption of a Canned Coffee Drink. Journal of Human Lactation. SAGE Publications; 2014; 31:474-478 10.1177/0890334414563732
Prenatal Exposure to BPA Alters the Epigenome of the Rat Mammary Gland and Increases the Propensity to Neoplastic Development Cite
Dhimolea E, Wadia PR, Murray TJ, Settles ML, Treitman JD, Sonnenschein C, et al. Prenatal Exposure to BPA Alters the Epigenome of the Rat Mammary Gland and Increases the Propensity to Neoplastic Development. PLoS ONE. Public Library of Science (PLoS); 2014; 9:e99800 10.1371/journal.pone.0099800
Coexposure to Phytoestrogens and Bisphenol A Mimics Estrogenic Effects in an Additive Manner Cite
Katchy A, Pinto C, Jonsson P, Nguyen-Vu T, Pandelova M, Riu A, et al. Coexposure to Phytoestrogens and Bisphenol A Mimics Estrogenic Effects in an Additive Manner. Toxicological Sciences. Oxford University Press (OUP); 2013; 138:21-35 10.1093/toxsci/kft271
Bisphenol A alters the development of the rhesus monkey mammary gland Cite
Tharp AP, Maffini MV, Hunt PA, VandeVoort CA, Sonnenschein C, Soto AM. Bisphenol A alters the development of the rhesus monkey mammary gland. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences; 2012; 109:8190-8195 10.1073/pnas.1120488109
Perinatal Exposure to Bisphenol A Increases Adult Mammary Gland Progesterone Response and Cell Number Cite
Ayyanan A, Laribi O, Schuepbach-Mallepell S, Schrick C, Gutierrez M, Tanos T, et al. Perinatal Exposure to Bisphenol A Increases Adult Mammary Gland Progesterone Response and Cell Number. Molecular Endocrinology. The Endocrine Society; 2011; 25:1915-1923 10.1210/me.2011-1129

Butter heightens BPA's impact on rat pup mammary glands

Selected breast cancer studies

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