A study in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment suggests that women who had insufficient intake of nutrients or suffer malnutrition in adulthood could have to face drastically increased risk of certain types of breast cancer.

The study shows that among breast cancer patients, women who were exposed to the Great Chinese Famine between 1959 and 1961 were 60%, 385% and 99% more likely to be diagnosed with ER-PR-, ER-PR+, ER+PR- breast cancer than ER+PR+ breast cancer, compared to those patients who were not exposed to the Famine.

The study also shows that women exposed to the Famine after giving their first birth were significantly more likely to develop ER-PR-. ER-PR+ and ER+PR- breast cancers than ER+PR+ breast cancer.

The study concludes that women exposed to the Famine, particularly those exposed after first birth were more likely to develop ER−PR−, ER−PR+, and ER+PR− breast cancer. 

The study suggests that famine, malnutrition or the associated lack of fruit and vegetable consumption in adulthood may be related to epidemiological heterogeneity within breast cancer subtypes." (David Liu)

Alimujiang, A., Mo, M., Liu, Y. et al. The association between China’s Great famine and risk of breast cancer according to hormone receptor status: a hospital-based study, Breast Cancer Research and Treatment (2016). doi:10.1007/s10549-016-3994-6