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The effect of oral 3,3′-diindolylmethane supplementation on the 2:16α-OHE ratio in BRCA1 mutation carriers

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Abstract

Hormonal exposures are known to influence breast cancer risk among women with a BRCA1 mutation. Thus, dietary factors that increase the 2-hydroxyestrone (OHE):16α-OHE ratio, a biomarker inversely related to breast cancer development, may also influence cancer risk. We conducted a dietary intervention study to evaluate the ability of 300 mg/day of 3,3′-diindolylmethane (DIM) to increase the urinary 2:16α-OHE ratio in 20 women with a BRCA1 mutation. BRCA1 mutation carriers (n = 15) were assigned to receive 300 mg/day of Rx Balance BioREsponse DIM for 4–6 weeks (intervention group) and five BRCA1 mutation carriers did not take DIM (control group). The urinary 2:16α-OHE ratio was assessed at baseline and after 4–6 weeks by immunoassay. There was no significant effect of DIM on the 2:16α-OHE ratio (2.4 at baseline vs. 3.0 after the intervention, P = 0.35). A short dietary intervention with DIM did not significantly increase the 2:16α-OHE ratio in female BRCA1 mutation carriers. Larger studies investigating the effect of dietary or lifestyle interventions on circulating hormone levels in these high-risk women are warranted.

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Acknowledgments

We would also like to acknowledge the study coordinators Chantelle Vernon and Mitra Mohammadi who helped with the data collection and data entry. Joanne Kotsopoulos is the recipient of a Cancer Care Ontario Research Chair in Population Studies and a Canadian Cancer Society Career Development Award in Prevention. Steven Narod is the recipient of a Canada Research Chair tier I. This study was supported by a Grant from the Art for Cancer Foundation. We would also like to thank Dr. Michael Zeligs (Bioresponse) for providing the DIM.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Women’s College Research Institute, 790 Bay St, Toronto, ON, M5G 1N8, Canada

    Dina Nikitina, Marcia Llacuachaqui, Steven A. Narod & Joanne Kotsopoulos

  2. The David and Alice Institute for Research, Hackensack University Medical Center, 30 Prospect Ave, Hackensack, NJ, 07601, USA

    Daniel Sepkovic & H. Leon Bradlow

  3. Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, 155 College Street, Toronto, ON, M5T 3M7, Canada

    Steven A. Narod & Joanne Kotsopoulos

Authors
  1. Dina Nikitina
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  2. Marcia Llacuachaqui
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  3. Daniel Sepkovic
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  4. H. Leon Bradlow
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  5. Steven A. Narod
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  6. Joanne Kotsopoulos
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Correspondence to Joanne Kotsopoulos.

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Nikitina, D., Llacuachaqui, M., Sepkovic, D. et al. The effect of oral 3,3′-diindolylmethane supplementation on the 2:16α-OHE ratio in BRCA1 mutation carriers. Familial Cancer 14, 281–286 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10689-015-9783-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10689-015-9783-2

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