The Associations between Intakes of One-Carbon Metabolism–Related Vitamins and Breast Density among Young Women
AbstractBackground:. Folate is the primary methyl donor and B vitamins are cofactors for one-carbon metabolism that maintain DNA integrity and epigenetic signatures implicated in carcinogenesis. Breast tissue is particularly susceptible to stimuli in early life. Only limited data are available on associations of one-carbon metabolism–related vitamin intake during youth and young adulthood with breast density, a strong risk factor for breast cancer.Methods:. Over 18 years in the DISC and DISC06 Follow-up Study, diets of 182 young women were assessed by three 24-hour recalls on five occasions at ages 8 to 18 years and once at 25 to 29 years. Multivariable-adjusted linear mixed-effects regression was used to examine associations of intakes of one-carbon metabolism-related vitamins with MRI-measured percent dense breast volume (%DBV) and absolute dense breast volume (ADBV) at ages 25 to 29 years.Results:. Folate intake in youth was inversely associated with %DBV (Ptrend = 0.006) and ADBV (