Relationship between Cardiovascular Disease and Breast Cancer Risks - Research Proposal Example

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE AND BREAST CANCER RISKS by Student’s Name Code + Name of Course Institution City/State Professor Date Abstract The purpose of this research was to establish a possible pattern and co-relation between cardio vascular disease and breast cancer. For the research to be adequately carried out, a sample of 680 women was used all of whom were post-menopausal. A hundred and twenty of these women had a waist of less than 80cm while 560 of these women had a waistline of over 90cm. Two groups later formed from the latter one. One group was on a strict 18-month diet while the other one did not receive a special diet. The purpose of the diet was to reduce the waist of the members of this group. Tests on blood samples drawn at regular intervals measured for insulin levels through centrifugation. Levels of insulin were by use of an ultrasensitive mouse Insulin enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. Analysis on frozen plasma samples to determine inflammatory biomarkers for breast cancer risk became an important cog. This employed the use of immunosorbent kits. The analysis was on, Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha, Insulin-like Growth Favtor1, Creative Protein, Interleukin-6, Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1, and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor. Serum leptin and adiponectin concentrations were through duplicates. Restin was measured using immunosorbent assay. The results of the findings was that the group with the 18-month diet restriction experienced a waist reduction to below 80cm. concentrations of biomarkers for CVD also showed a reduction and hence a lower breast cancer risk. The control group under no special diet experienced no changes. Discussion In the recent past, interests concerning the correlation of cancer and overweight or obesity have come up. This has led to the eventual researches surrounding supporting observances that point to a possible relationship. The case of excess weight can influence cancer in a number of ways including, hormonal influences, co morbidities which interfere with the successful treatment measures, and introduction of adverse disease features among others (Driver et al 2008). From the above research, it was of extreme importance to have groups of individuals that exhibited characteristics of overweight people and a control group. The control group consisted of overweight individuals but put under a strict diet to show the impact of reduced weight loss. The other control group consisted of individuals that were neither obese nor overweight. It is a fact that CVD are more prevalent among men than women are. However, the risk becomes even in all sexes when women are past menopause. This was one of the reasons behind using post-menopausal women for this scientific research. Studies carried out by institutions such as Harvard University, Ryan Mackey Memorial Research Institute, and Sydney Center for Cardiovascular Health looked into the relation between fast foods and increased heart diseases. Curiosity revolved around the increase in heart-related diseases especially in the early 2000s. This spun out to other researches to find out the impact of the cardiovascular diseases. To determine the relationship between CVD and breast cancer risk, a number of tests carried out on samples of blood on predetermined intervals. This took place after the administration of glucose and had a sole purpose of measuring plasma glucose levels. Researches have shown that in addition to having an elevated body mass index, individuals with a large waist have twice the risk of having or suffering from cardiovascular diseases. The waist issue brings into light the issue of distribution of fats. A large waist indicates presence of visceral fat. This fat surrounds organs in the abdominal region. This fat boosts inflammation, increases cholesterol numbers, and encourages the resistance of insulin. With these aspects in mind, it became apparent that use of waist size was to categorize the participants. Use of an 80cm waist size as a cut mark and a line between overweight and normality in size, categories were clearly distinguished (Chlebowski et al 1991). Studies have shown that dieting can indeed influence our body sizes. Regulated and calculated consumption of particular foods results in the efficiency in digestion and as a result, efficiency of the utilization of the food. Though dieting has its side effects, it is a preferred method of weight reduction for many. It has proven its worth as it encourages proper metabolism within the body. With these essential research findings in mind, one of the active test participant groups was on a strict diet. This was to reduce the weight of the women and to decrease their waist sizes. Apolipoproteins and low-density lipoproteins in the body have been known to have direct and indirect relations to obesity and excess weight. Thus tests carried on the levels of apolipoproteins, became essential to determine level of free fatty acids. Tests carried on the saliva since saliva is a marker of numerous conditions such as immunologic, infectious, endocrine, and inflammatory. This was done through the CBI Cortisol solid phase competitive ELISA. The research had to take a long time i.e. 18 months, as this was the optimum time to ensure that the participants had sized down. Relationship between Post-Menopausal Breast Cancer Risks and Being Overweight Researches carried out in the past have pointed out to the fact that there is some degree of correlation between being overweight and breast cancer prevalence. The research looked into various aspects of previous researches and incorporated the same in carrying out this scientific research. The following are some of the key areas, Overweight leads to hormonal changes affecting breast cancer risks, which interferes with insulin related pathways. Increased body mass index has a direct influence on the insulin levels and insulin-like growth factor levels. Both IGF and insulin increase the rates by which breast cells grow. Fatty cells produce substances, which in turn boost the risk of developing breast cancer. Some of these hormone-like substances include resistin, leptin, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and adiponectin. These substances have an effect on the growth of breast cells. Their increase would see an increase in growth of breast cells (Yong et al 1996). Overweight nature increases an exposure to estrogen. A long exposure to estrogen in females has links to risks of breast cancer. The estrogen level exposure is through long periods of reproduction. Post-menopausal states links to an increased body mass index and the subsequent relationship to estrogen levels. Studies carried out show that diagnosed breast cancers in overweight postmenopausal women were mostly due to progesterone receptor positive and estrogen receptor. This is mainly through aromatase, an enzyme that is common in fatty cells. The enzyme is capable of using other hormones and producing estrogen. The body of the women affected, have decreased levels of proteins contained in the blood that carry estrogen. With lower levels of these proteins, more estrogen is available in the body. Through this, activities that increase breast cancer prevalence are increased (Yong et al 1996). Overweight people also have sub acute inflammation. This low-level inflammation relates to cancer risks. Fatty cells that are prevalent in an overweight body have effects on the regulators of tumor growth. There is an impact on the regulators directly or indirectly and include, kinase, which is an Amp-activated protein and, mammalian target of rapamycin (MTOR) (Stern et al 1988). Adipokinase are hormones produced by fatty cells. These hormones can inhibit or promote cell growth. Adiponectin has negated proliferation effects in obese people since they are less abundant in these people. On the other hand, leptin is more in overweight people and as a result, they promote proliferation in cells (Stern et al 1988). Given the above factors that affect breast cancer, it was detrimental to consider these factors while carrying out the analysis. The concentrations of various elements became essential and thus their measurement is through the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit, radiommunoassay, and a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The results were interesting as they supported various scientific researches carried out previously. The tissue concentration compilation was essential since it drew a clearer picture of the impact of the diet to the two hundred and eighty participants who were under a strict diet. It showed a conclusive reaction similar to other researches in the past that point to the direction that cardiovascular diseases and breast cancer share something. Conclusion After an intense scientific study on the correlation of CVD and breast cancer, numerous and systematic tests carried out showed that indeed the two are related and reduction of prevalence of CVD led to a reduced case of breast cancer. In an attempt to prove the relation, tests carried out relied on excessive weight as a major cause of CVD. Tests carried out on overweight and normal weighted individuals illuminated the fact that biomarkers of CVD and breast cancer have a relation. Reference List Chlebowski, R. T, David Rose, I. M, Buzzard, G. L, Blackburn, W. I, Mary, G, Robert, E, & Ernst, L. W 1991, ‘Adjuvant dietary fat intake reduction in postmenopausal breast cancer patient management’, Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 73-74 Driver, J. A, Luc, D, Giancarlo, L, Gaziano, J & Tobias, K 2008, ‘Incidence of cardiovascular disease and cancer in advanced age: prospective cohort study’, British Medical Journal, vol. 337, pp. a2467 Slamon, D, Clark, G, Wong, S Levin, W, Ullrich, A & McGuire, W 1987, ‘Human breast cancer: correlation of relapse and survival with amplification of the HER2/neu oncogene’, Science, vol. 235, no. 4785, pp. 177- 182 Yong, L, Brown, C, Schatzkin, A & Schairer, C 1996, ‘Prospective Study of Relative Weight and Risk of Breast Cancer: The Breast Cancer Detection Demonstration Project Follow-up Study, 1979 to 1987-1989’, American Journal of Epidemiology, vol. 143, no. 10, pp. 985-99 Stern, R.S & Rudee, L 1988, ‘Cardiovascular Disease, Cancer, and Cause of Death in Patients with Psoriasis: 10 Years Prospective Experience in a Cohort of 1,380 Patients’, Journal of Investigative Dermatology, vol. 91, no. 3, pp. 197-201 Research Translation The research conducted on the various test participants came up with compelling results that are useful in a number of ways and that can improve the learning and understanding of both breast cancer and CVD. First, the strict dieting that the two hundred and eighty individuals sheds light the effectiveness of dieting in weight loss. While carrying out the research, the individuals received an 18-month dieting technique and after this period, they had lost significant weight to fall into the group of 80cm waist sizes or less from having waists larger than 90-cm. this is a clear indication that dieting works as a method of waist reduction. The overall glucose tolerance test showed an increase in change when pre and post-intervention values were compared. This is a clear indication that the level of glucose breakdown among the individuals after the dieting had improved. Illumination is through a fact that the level of insulin concentration received a significant drop. A decrease of fatty acids and CEPT was expected but it was due to the increased metabolism of the body during dieting. While dieting, the body of the individual undergoes a process of efficiently breaking down the consumed food, aside from this implication, the body also responds by breaking down fat that is within the body. This ensures that the adequate bridging of the deficit within the body that causes limited consumption. In the process, fatty acids are broken down. Without the dietary support on the control group, this group showed the impact of a reduced waist size and reduced weight in the fight against breast cancer. The control group exhibited signs that they are still highly likely to suffer from breast cancer. While breast cancer is a serious threat to many, studies have shown that it is more likely to occur amongst post-menopausal women than pre-menopausal women are. The scientific research carried out and expressed above seeks to establish that though this is the case, appropriate measures can counter the likelihood of breast cancer occurrence in these women. Whilst looking at both CVD and breast cancer relations, it was found out that they are related and reduction of CVD occurrence can have an immense impact on reducing the prevalence of breast cancer. There is control of cardiovascular diseases by putting in check by ensuring a healthy and inclusive diet. The research puts an important perspective that dieting can help more than just weight issues. Read More