# DISTRIBUTION OF BODY FAT AND CANCER RISK IN WOMEN

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · 1990 · $201,300

## Abstract

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in postmenopausal women.
Therefore, detailed investigations are warranted to identify potentially
modifiable risk factors for cancer. We recruited a population-based cohort
of 41,837 Iowa women aged 55-69 years to test the hypothesis that increased
abdominal fat distribution, independent of body mass, is associated with
increased incidence of endometrial cancer, breast cancer, and total
mortality. We obtained considerable exposure data on the cohort in a
baseline survey in 1986, and we are now obtaining the third year of cancer
incidence and mortality data by linkage to the Iowa Health (SEER) Registry
and National Death Index. In the two-year results abdominal adiposity was
independently associated with increased risk of breast cancer, total
mortality, and several other nonfatal cancer endpoints ascertained by self
report. However, the association of abdominal adiposity with endometrial
cancer risk was not independent of body mass.

With the existing wealth of baseline information on this large cohort, we
propose to extend follow-up for cancer incidence and mortality through
eight years. Further follow-up will allow us to verify our early results
and extend them to rarer neoplasms, such as cancer of the ovary and kidney,
which also may be related to fat distribution. Further follow-up will let
us compare cancer rates among women living on farms versus those not living
on farms. Two new aims will also be undertaken: 1) a nested case-control
study of families to test whether body size or shape explains the familial
clustering of breast and endometrial cancer, and 2) a pilot test of the
feasibility of collecting blood samples by mail for future molecular
genetic studies.

The proposed project will provide new information on the risk of cancer in
older women. This information could be valuable in the primary prevention
of disease.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3179121
- **Project number:** 2R01CA039742-06
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
- **SAM.gov UEI:** KABJZBBJ4B54
- **Principal Investigator:** AARON R FOLSOM
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1990
- **Award amount:** $201,300
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 1985-07-01 → 1995-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3179121

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3179121, DISTRIBUTION OF BODY FAT AND CANCER RISK IN WOMEN (2R01CA039742-06). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3179121. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*