Insulinemic lifestyle pattern ups risk of endometrial cancer

A lifestyle pattern with higher insulinemic potential may predispose an individual to endometrial cancer (EC), suggests a study.

Over a median follow-up of 25.2 years, incident EC reached a total of 1,328 cases. Female participants with a higher empirical lifestyle index for hyperinsulinemia (ELIH) showed an elevated risk of EC (hazard ratio_Q5vsQ1, 2.58, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 2.16–3.09; p_trend<0.01).

Likewise, participants with a higher empirical lifestyle index for insulin resistance (ELIR) had an increased EC risk (HR_Q5vsQ1, 2.89, 95 percent CI, 2.37–3.53; p_trend<0.01). The elevated risk of EC noted with ELIH (p_trend<0.01 for all) and ELIR (p_trend<0.01 for all) persisted in all racial and ethnic groups.

On the other hand, EC risk showed no significant association with empirical dietary inflammatory pattern (EDIP), empirical dietary index for hyperinsulinemia (EDIH), and empirical dietary index for insulin resistance (EDIR; p_trend<0.01 for all).

“Lifestyle changes that include more physical activity and achieving a healthy body weight, in addition to reducing insulinemic diets, may lower EC risk,” the researchers said. 

This multiethnic cohort study included 60,441 female participants, who were African American, Japanese American, Latino, Native Hawaiian, or White (aged 45–75 years at baseline in 1993–1996). A quantitative food frequency questionnaire was used at baseline to compute the EDIP, EDIH, ELIH, EDIR, and ELIR.

The researchers estimated the HRs and 95 percent CIs for the association between each index and EC risk using multivariable Cox models adjusted for known risk factors for EC.