A cross-sectional analysis of the associations between adult height, BMI and serum concentrations of IGF-I and IGFBP-1 -2 and -3 in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)

Abstract

Background: Height and BMI are risk factors for several types of cancer and may be related to circulating concentrations of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), a peptide associated with increased cancer risk.

Aim: To assess the associations between height, BMI and serum concentrations of IGF-I and IGF binding protein (IGFBP)-1, -2 and -3.

Subjects and methods: This cross-sectional analysis included 1142 men and 3589 women aged 32–77 years from the multi-centre study, the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC).

Results: In men, there was a positive association between height and IGF-I; each 10 cm increment in height was associated with an increase in IGF-I concentrations of 4.3% (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.3–7.5%, p for trend = 0.005), but this association was not statistically significant for women (0.9%, 95% CI: − 0.7 to 2.6%, p for trend = 0.264). In both men and women, the association between IGF-I and BMI was non-linear and those with a BMI of 26–27 kg/m² had the highest IGF-I concentration. BMI was strongly inversely related to concentrations of IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-2 in men and in women (p for trend for all < 0.001).

Conclusion: Height and BMI are associated with IGF-I and its binding proteins, which may be mechanisms through which body size contributes to increased risk of several cancers.

Keywords::

• Body height
• body mass index
• insulin-like growth factor I
• insulin-like growth factor binding proteins
• obesity

Acknowledgements

Europe Against Cancer Program of the European Commission (SANCO); Danish Cancer Society; German Cancer Aid; Ligue Nationale contre le Cancer, 3M Company, INSERM; German Cancer Research Centre; German Federal Ministry of Education and Research; Dutch Ministry of Public Health, Welfare and Sports; National Cancer Registry and the Regional Cancer Registries Amsterdam, Dutch Ministry of Health; Dutch Prevention Funds; LK Research Funds; Dutch Zorg Onderzoek Nederland; East and Maastricht of The Netherlands; Norwegian Cancer Society; Norwegian Research Council; Health Research Fund (FIS) of the Spanish Ministry of Health; Hellenic Ministry of Health; Stavros Niarchos Foundation; Hellenic Health Foundation; Italian Association for Research on Cancer; Italian National Research Council; Spanish Regional Governments of Andalusia, Asturias, Basque Country, Murcia and Navarra and ISCIII, Swedish Cancer Society; Swedish Scientific Council; Regional Government of Skane, Sweden; Cancer Research UK; Medical Research Council, UK; Stroke Association, UK; British Heart Foundation; Department of Health, UK; Food Standards Agency, UK; Wellcome Trust, UK; the US Army Medical Research and Material Command (DAMD 17-01-0275); US National Cancer Institute (contract no. U01 CA098216-01) and World Cancer Research Fund. This research was conducted during tenure of a Girdlers’ New Zealand Health Research Council Fellowship.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.