Physical activity and risks of breast and colorectal cancer: a Mendelian randomisation analysis

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 11; no. 1; pp. 597 - 10
• Main Authors: Papadimitriou, Nikos, Dimou, Niki, Tsilidis, Konstantinos K., Banbury, Barbara, Martin, Richard M., Lewis, Sarah J., Kazmi, Nabila, Robinson, Timothy M., Albanes, Demetrius, Aleksandrova, Krasimira, Berndt, Sonja I., Timothy Bishop, D., Brenner, Hermann, Buchanan, Daniel D., Bueno-de-Mesquita, Bas, Campbell, Peter T., Castellví-Bel, Sergi, Chan, Andrew T., Chang-Claude, Jenny, Ellingjord-Dale, Merete, Figueiredo, Jane C., Gallinger, Steven J., Giles, Graham G., Giovannucci, Edward, Gruber, Stephen B., Gsur, Andrea, Hampe, Jochen, Hampel, Heather, Harlid, Sophia, Harrison, Tabitha A., Hoffmeister, Michael, Hopper, John L., Hsu, Li, María Huerta, José, Huyghe, Jeroen R., Jenkins, Mark A., Keku, Temitope O., Kühn, Tilman, La Vecchia, Carlo, Le Marchand, Loic, Li, Christopher I., Li, Li, Lindblom, Annika, Lindor, Noralane M., Lynch, Brigid, Markowitz, Sanford D., Masala, Giovanna, May, Anne M., Milne, Roger, Monninkhof, Evelyn, Moreno, Lorena, Moreno, Victor, Newcomb, Polly A., Offit, Kenneth, Perduca, Vittorio, Pharoah, Paul D. P., Platz, Elizabeth A., Potter, John D., Rennert, Gad, Riboli, Elio, Sánchez, Maria-Jose, Schmit, Stephanie L., Schoen, Robert E., Severi, Gianluca, Sieri, Sabina, Slattery, Martha L., Song, Mingyang, Tangen, Catherine M., Thibodeau, Stephen N., Travis, Ruth C., Trichopoulou, Antonia, Ulrich, Cornelia M., van Duijnhoven, Franzel J. B., Van Guelpen, Bethany, Vodicka, Pavel, White, Emily, Wolk, Alicja, Woods, Michael O., Wu, Anna H., Peters, Ulrike, Gunter, Marc J., Murphy, Neil
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 30.01.2020; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 45; 45/23; 631/67; 631/67/1347; 631/67/1504/1885; 631/67/2324; 631/67/68; Acceleration; Accelerometry; Breast cancer; Breast Neoplasms - genetics; Colon; Colon cancer; Colorectal cancer; Colorectal carcinoma; Colorectal Neoplasms - genetics; Confidence intervals; Consortia; Epidemiology; Estrogen receptors; Estrogens; Exercise; Female; Genetic analysis; Genetic Predisposition to Disease; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Life Sciences; Mendelian Randomization Analysis; multidisciplinary; Odds Ratio; Physical activity; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide - genetics; Randomization; Risk Factors; Santé publique et épidémiologie; Science; Science (multidisciplinary)
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-14389-8

Physical activity has been associated with lower risks of breast and colorectal cancer in epidemiological studies; however, it is unknown if these associations are causal or confounded. In two-sample Mendelian randomisation analyses, using summary genetic data from the UK Biobank and GWA consortia, we found that a one standard deviation increment in average acceleration was associated with lower risks of breast cancer (odds ratio [OR]: 0.51, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.27 to 0.98, P-value = 0.04) and colorectal cancer (OR: 0.66, 95% CI: 0.48 to 0.90, P-value = 0.01). We found similar magnitude inverse associations for estrogen positive (ER +ve ) breast cancer and for colon cancer. Our results support a potentially causal relationship between higher physical activity levels and lower risks of breast cancer and colorectal cancer. Based on these data, the promotion of physical activity is probably an effective strategy in the primary prevention of these commonly diagnosed cancers. Physical activity has been linked to lower risks of colorectal and breast cancer. Here, the authors present a Mendelian randomisation analysis supporting a potentially causal relationship between higher physical activity levels and lower risks of breast cancer and colorectal cancer.