Initial results by Michigan State University researchers have established that girls who have a high-fat diet during the critical years of puberty may be at a greater risk of developing breast cancer later in life. This is because puberty is when the basic framework is created for mammary gland development and what this preliminary research is showing is that a high-fat diet during puberty can lead to the production of inflammatory products in the mammary glands. Puberty is a period of intense development and cell division, and it can have effects lasting a lifetime for adults. The researchers are investigating whether this inflammation can promote cancer growth later in life.
Investigating this further, Physiology professor Sandra Haslam, director of the center, and Richard Schwartz, microbiology professor and associate dean in the College of Natural Science, are about to start a new, five-year study with the aid of a $2.3 million federal grant.
There is no doubt that there is a link between a high-fat diet, obesity, and potential cancer risks but I’m a little surprised that they see this as a big problem with teenage girls. A more common condition that is seen when girls reach puberty — and even before — is an obsession with body image that leads them to trying to achieve the ultra-skinny body that they see lauded as the ideal every day in the media.