To test their findings, Haslam and Schwartz will lead a team analyzing two different mouse models of breast cancer and the effects of high-fat diets during puberty. They also will test several anti-inflammation interventions designed to overcome the negative effects of a high-fat diet on inflammation.

The initial MSU Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Center brought together researchers from MSU's colleges of Natural Science, Human Medicine and Veterinary Medicine to perform research into environmental impacts during puberty that affect breast cancer risk, as well as researchers in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences to study how to best communicate breast cancer health messages to the public.

The next phase of the studies will be through the expanded national Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Program. Besides performing biomedical research, the new project also will strive to communicate findings that can lessen the risk of breast cancer via awareness and avoidance of environmental risk factors. To that end, the Michigan Breast Cancer Coalition and colleagues in MSU's College of Communication Arts and Sciences are helping bring research findings to the public.

Source: Michigan State University