Allostatic load and breast cancer Original paper

In this cohort study, higher allostatic load (a measure of physiological stress based on cardiometabolic risk factors) was associated with a higher risk of breast cancer.

The association between allostatic load (AL) and breast cancer risk among women in the U.K.

AL is intended to reflect the magnitude of physiological stress experienced over a lifetime. It is calculated by assessing a variety of cardiometabolic risk factors.

181,455 women from the UK Biobank.

The participants were predominantly white, with an average age of 56 at baseline.

A cohort study with a median follow-up of 11.7 years was performed. The AL scores were calculated at baseline and were based on systolic and diastolic blood pressures, pulse rate, C-reactive protein, waist-to-hip ratio, total cholesterol, triglycerides, HbA1c, creatinine, and medication use.

Each participant’s AL score (0–11; higher scores indicate higher AL or more stress) was based on how many of the factors they met the criteria for.

The analyses were adjusted for several potential confounders, including demographic, socioeconomic, and lifestyle factors, as well as reproductive factors (e.g., contraceptive use, hormone-replacement therapy use, menopause status) and family history of breast cancer.

Higher AL scores were associated with a higher risk of breast cancer. Each increase of 1 point in AL score was associated with a 5% increase in breast cancer risk.

The participants with high AL (scores of 3–11) had a 17% higher risk of developing breast cancer in comparison with the participants with low AL (scores of 0–2).