|
2 December 2008
Eggs in diet cut daughters' breast cancer risk 
Consuming choline - a nutrient found in eggs - during pregnancy may significantly lower the risk of breast cancer for a mother's offspring, say biologists at Boston University (BU). It is the first study to identify possible choline-related genetic changes that affect breast cancer survival rates. The researchers say the finding, published in The FASEB Journal, indicates that "we might be able to prevent breast cancer as early as a mother's pregnancy." "Our study provides additional support for the notion that choline is an important nutrient that has to be considered when dietary guidelines are developed," said BU's Krzysztof Blusztajn, the study's senior researcher. "We hope it will be possible to develop nutritional guidelines for pregnant women that ensure the good health of their offspring well into old age."
The researchers also found multiple genetic and molecular changes in the rats' tumors that correlated with survival outcomes. For example, the slow growing tumors in rats had a genetic pattern similar to those seen in breast cancers of women who are considered to have a good prognosis. The fast growing tumors in mice had a pattern of genetic changes similar to those seen in women with a more aggressive disease. The researchers also found evidence that these genetic changes may result from the way that choline affects modifications of the DNA within the mammary gland of fetuses as they develop in the womb. Related:
Eggs Touted As Breast Cancer Preventative
Shampoo Can Stunt Brain Development Source: Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
| 
