Abstract
Purpose
Despite evidence that prolonged periods of sitting may influence biological mediators of cancer development, few studies have considered these relationships in a cancer-specific context.
Methods
This cross-sectional study included 755 postmenopausal women enrolled in an ancillary study of the Women’s Health Initiative. Plasma levels of Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), IGF-binding protein-3, leptin, insulin, C-peptide, C-reactive protein (CRP), and Interleukin (IL)-6 were measured. The time spent sitting per day was categorized as quartiles (Qs). The relationships between sedentary time and biomarkers were modified by race, physical activity, and exogenous estrogen use.
Results
IGF-I levels among African American (AA) women were higher than those of white women across the Qs of sedentary time. Likewise, IL-6 levels in AA women were higher than those in white women at Q3 and Q4 of sedentary time. IGFBP-3 levels were higher and insulin levels were lower across the Qs of sedentary time among women meeting guidelines for physical activity than women who were not. Additionally, CRP levels were higher among estrogen users than nonusers at Q1, Q2, and Q4 of sedentary time.
Conclusions
These results suggest that relationship between time spent sitting and cancer-related biomarkers may not be simply linear, but differ in the context of effect modifiers.
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Acknowledgments
This study was supported by NCI grant (R21 CA086036, PI: J. Hays-Grudo; R25T CA057730, PI: S. Chang) and by the WHI program, which is funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through contracts HHSN268201100046C, HHSN268201100001C, HHSN268201100002C, HHSN268201100003C, HHSN268201100004C, and HHSN271201100004C. There are no financial disclosures of conflicts of interest and the results of the present study do not constitute endorsement by ACSM.
Program Office
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Bethesda, MD: Jacques Rossouw, Shari Ludlam, Dale Burwen, Joan McGowan, Leslie Ford, and Nancy Geller.
Clinical Coordinating Center
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA: Garnet Anderson, Ross Prentice, Andrea LaCroix, and Charles Kooperberg.
Investigators and Academic Centers
Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA: JoAnn E. Manson; MedStar Health Research Institute/Howard University, Washington, DC: Barbara V. Howard; Stanford Prevention Research Center, Stanford, CA: Marcia L. Stefanick; The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH: Rebecca Jackson; University of Arizona, Tucson/Phoenix, AZ: Cynthia A. Thomson; University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY: Jean Wactawski-Wende; University of Florida, Gainesville/Jacksonville, FL: Marian Limacher; University of Iowa, Iowa City/Davenport, IA: Robert Wallace; University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA: Lewis Kuller; Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC: Sally Shumaker.
Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study
Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC: Sally Shumaker.
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Raheem J. Paxton and Su Yon Jung have contributed equally to this work.
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Paxton, R.J., Jung, S.Y., Vitolins, M.Z. et al. Associations between time spent sitting and cancer-related biomarkers in postmenopausal women: an exploration of effect modifiers. Cancer Causes Control 25, 1427–1437 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-014-0434-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-014-0434-y