Adipocytokines and Insulin Resistance: Their Role as Benign Breast Disease and Breast Cancer Risk Factors in a High-Prevalence Overweight-Obesity Group of Women over 40 Years Old

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 May 17;19(10):6093. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19106093.

Abstract

Insulin levels, adipocytokines, and inflammatory mediators trigger benign breast disease (BBD) and breast cancer (BC). The relationship between serum adipocytokines levels, overweight-obesity, metabolic disturbs, and BC is unclear. Methods: To analyze the serum levels of the adipocytokines, insulin, and the HOMA IR in women without breast disease, with BBD or BC, and the role of these as risk factors for benign breast disease or breast cancer. Results: Adipsin values > 0.91 and visfatin levels > 1.18 ng/mL represent a risk factor to develop BBD in NBD lean women (OR = 18; and OR = 12). Data in overweight-obese women groups confirm the observation due to insulin levels > 2.6 mU/mL and HOMA IR > 0.78, with OR = 60.2 and 18, respectively; adipsin OR = 26.4, visfatin OR = 12. Breast cancer risk showed a similar behavior: Adipsin risk, adjusted by insulin and visfatin OR = 56 or HOMA IR and visfatin OR = 22.7. Conclusion: Adipose tissue is crucial for premalignant and malignant tissue transformation in women with overweight-obesity. The adipocyte−breast epithelium interaction could trigger a malignant transformation in a continuum, starting with BBD as premalignant disease, especially in overweight-obese women.

Keywords: HOMA IR; OR; adipocytokines; benign breast disease (BBDS); breast cancer (BC); insulin; insulin resistance; overweight-obesity; risk.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adipokines
  • Adult
  • Breast Diseases*
  • Breast Neoplasms* / epidemiology
  • Breast Neoplasms* / etiology
  • Complement Factor D
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Insulin
  • Insulin Resistance*
  • Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase
  • Obesity
  • Overweight / epidemiology
  • Prevalence
  • Risk Factors

Substances

  • Adipokines
  • Insulin
  • Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase
  • Complement Factor D

Grants and funding

This research was funded by “Fondo de Investigación en Salud (FIS) del Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS), funding number FIS/IMSS/PROT/G14/1342, for the project: “Aumento de la lipoperoxidación, frecuencia de dislipidemia y obesidad en pacientes con cáncer de mama” with number of register in the Institutional Review Board (Comité Local de Investigación y Ética en Investigación en Salud 1301): R-2008-1301-43” and the APC was funded by authors and co-authors through their personal contribution.