ArticleBreast cancer research : BCR2025
Lifestyle changes and postmenopausal breast cancer risk in women from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition.
Article in Breast cancer research : BCR, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Changes in alcohol consumption and the risk of postmenopausal breast cancer in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort.European journal of nutrition · 2026Article
- Lower-Cost Nonsurgical Primary Prevention Strategies for Women at High Risk of Breast Cancer: A Scoping Review.The breast journal · 2026Article
- Breast Cancer Burden in BRICS Countries Attributable to Smoking, High Alcohol Use, High Body Mass Index, and Low Physical Activity, 1990-2021: Findings from the Global Burden of Disease 2021 and Mendelian Randomization.International journal of women's health · 2026Article
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28 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundThe risk of breast cancer has been associated with various lifestyle factors, yet the evidence regarding how lifestyle modifications affect this risk remains limited. This study examines the relationship between changes in the Healthy Lifestyle Index (HLI) and postmenopausal breast cancer risk in women participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer (EPIC).
methodsHLI scores (ranging from 0 to 16) were computed based on smoking habits, alcohol consumption, body mass index (BMI), and physical activity levels, using data from baseline and follow-up questionnaires, which were separated by a median interval of 10 (IQR: 5.2-12.0) years. Among the 125,746 women included in the analyses, 2,175 developed breast cancer over a median follow-up period of nearly 4 (IQR: 2.9-8.4) years starting from the date of the second lifestyle questionnaire. Cox proportional hazards models were employed to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and confidence intervals (CIs) for the relationship between changes in HLI and postmenopausal breast cancer risk, analysed both overall and by estrogen receptor (ER) status. Individual components of the HLI were also analysed, with sensitivity analyses addressing potential reverse causation by delaying the start of follow-up by 1 to 3 years.
resultsEach unit increase in the HLI-reflecting a healthier lifestyle-was not associated with the overall risk of postmenopausal breast cancer. Among individual components, only a one-unit increase in the BMI score, corresponding to a shift towards a healthier BMI, was inversely associated with overall (HR = 0.936; 95% CI 0.880-0.996) and ER-positive (HR = 0.930; 95% CI 0.865-1.000) postmenopausal breast cancer risks.
conclusionsLifestyle changes, as measured by the HLI, during mid-adulthood were not significantly associated with the risk of postmenopausal breast cancer. More specifically, the results of this study suggested that a shift towards a healthier BMI may contribute to breast cancer prevention. Further research involving diverse and larger study populations and lifestyle assessments at earlier life stages could provide deeper insights.
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