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Nonlinear relationship of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I and IGF-I/IGF-binding protein-3 ratio with indices of adiposity and plasma insulin concentrations (Sweden)

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Abstract

Objective: In this study we test the hypothesis of a nonlinear relationship of IGF-I with indices of body fat such as body mass index (BMI), insulin, and leptin. Methods: The controls used in three case–control cancer studies nested in the Northern Sweden Health and Disease Cohort, were combined for this analysis. Measurements of plasma IGF-I, IGFBP-3, insulin, and leptin were available for 445 men and 391 women. Results: In both men and women we found the highest mean IGF-I levels in subjects with BMI between 24 and 26. IGF-I concentrations decreased toward BMI ≤ 20 and BMI > 30 in men; however, the results for women did not reach statistical significance. The molar ratio of IGF-I/IGFBP-3 showed a similar profile to that of IGF-I, although much less pronounced. The observed peak mean IGF-I levels in the second quintiles of insulin and leptin in men supported these findings. No significant variation of mean IGF-I levels across quintiles of insulin and leptin were observed in women. Conclusions: The results of this study provide evidence that IGF-I plasma concentrations vary substantially over a wide range of body weight and that the relationship is nonlinear.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France

    Annekatrin Lukanova

  2. Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine/Nutritional Research, University of Umeå, Umeå, Sweden

    Annekatrin Lukanova, Stefan Söderberg & Göran Hallmans

  3. Department of Nutrition and Cancer, International Agency for Research on Cancer, 150 Cours Albert Thomas, 69372, Lyon, France

    Annekatrin Lukanova

  4. University of Umeå, Department of Urology and Andrology and the Medical Biobank, Northern Sweden University Hospital, Umeå, Sweden

    Pär Stattin

  5. Department of Pathology, University of Umeå, Umeå, Sweden

    Richard Palmqvist

  6. Department of Medical Biosciences/Pathology, and Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine/Nutritional Research, University of Umeå, Umeå, Sweden

    Eva Lundin

  7. International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France

    Carine Biessy, Sabina Rinaldi, Elio Riboli & Rudolf Kaaks

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  1. Annekatrin Lukanova
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Lukanova, A., Söderberg, S., Stattin, P. et al. Nonlinear relationship of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I and IGF-I/IGF-binding protein-3 ratio with indices of adiposity and plasma insulin concentrations (Sweden). Cancer Causes Control 13, 509–516 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1016392129279

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