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Review

Environmental Exposures during Puberty: Window of Breast Cancer Risk and Epigenetic Damage

by
Rama Natarajan
1,2,
Dana Aljaber
1,†,
Dawn Au
1,†,
Christine Thai
1,†,
Angelica Sanchez
1,†,
Alan Nunez
1,†,
Cristal Resto
1,†,
Tanya Chavez
1,
Marta M. Jankowska
3,
Tarik Benmarhnia
4,
Jiue-An Yang
3,
Veronica Jones
1,
Jerneja Tomsic
1,
Jeannine S. McCune
1,
Christopher Sistrunk
1,
Stacey Doan
1,5,
Mayra Serrano
1,
Robert D. Cardiff
1,6,
Eric C. Dietze
1 and
Victoria L. Seewaldt
1,*
1
City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
2
City of Hope Diabetes Metabolism Research Institute, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
3
Qualcomm Institute/Calit2, University of California at San Diego, San Diego, CA 92093, USA
4
Family Medicine and Public Health San Diego, University of California at San Diego, San Diego, CA 92093, USA
5
Department of Psychology, Claremont McKenna College, Claremont, CA 91711, USA
6
Center for Comparative Medicine, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(2), 493; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17020493
Submission received: 8 October 2019 / Revised: 22 November 2019 / Accepted: 26 November 2019 / Published: 13 January 2020
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancing Primary Prevention of Breast Cancer)
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Abstract

During puberty, a woman’s breasts are vulnerable to environmental damage (“window of vulnerability”). Early exposure to environmental carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, and unhealthy foods (refined sugar, processed fats, food additives) are hypothesized to promote molecular damage that increases breast cancer risk. However, prospective human studies are difficult to perform and effective interventions to prevent these early exposures are lacking. It is difficult to prevent environmental exposures during puberty. Specifically, young women are repeatedly exposed to media messaging that promotes unhealthy foods. Young women living in disadvantaged neighborhoods experience additional challenges including a lack of access to healthy food and exposure to contaminated air, water, and soil. The purpose of this review is to gather information on potential exposures during puberty. In future directions, this information will be used to help elementary/middle-school girls to identify and quantitate environmental exposures and develop cost-effective strategies to reduce exposures.
Keywords: environment; breast cancer risk; empowerment environment; breast cancer risk; empowerment

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Natarajan, R.; Aljaber, D.; Au, D.; Thai, C.; Sanchez, A.; Nunez, A.; Resto, C.; Chavez, T.; Jankowska, M.M.; Benmarhnia, T.; et al. Environmental Exposures during Puberty: Window of Breast Cancer Risk and Epigenetic Damage. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 493. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17020493

AMA Style

Natarajan R, Aljaber D, Au D, Thai C, Sanchez A, Nunez A, Resto C, Chavez T, Jankowska MM, Benmarhnia T, et al. Environmental Exposures during Puberty: Window of Breast Cancer Risk and Epigenetic Damage. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020; 17(2):493. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17020493

Chicago/Turabian Style

Natarajan, Rama, Dana Aljaber, Dawn Au, Christine Thai, Angelica Sanchez, Alan Nunez, Cristal Resto, Tanya Chavez, Marta M. Jankowska, Tarik Benmarhnia, and et al. 2020. "Environmental Exposures during Puberty: Window of Breast Cancer Risk and Epigenetic Damage" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17, no. 2: 493. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17020493

APA Style

Natarajan, R., Aljaber, D., Au, D., Thai, C., Sanchez, A., Nunez, A., Resto, C., Chavez, T., Jankowska, M. M., Benmarhnia, T., Yang, J.-A., Jones, V., Tomsic, J., McCune, J. S., Sistrunk, C., Doan, S., Serrano, M., Cardiff, R. D., Dietze, E. C., & Seewaldt, V. L. (2020). Environmental Exposures during Puberty: Window of Breast Cancer Risk and Epigenetic Damage. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(2), 493. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17020493

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