Sources of variation in the serum metabolome of female participants of the HUNT2 study

Abstract

Abstract The aim of this study was to explore the intricate relationship between serum metabolomics and lifestyle factors, shedding light on their impact on health in the context of breast cancer risk. Detailed metabolic profiles of 2283 female participants in the Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT study) were obtained through nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and mass spectrometry (MS). We show that lifestyle-related variables can explain up to 30% of the variance in individual metabolites. Age and obesity were the primary factors affecting the serum metabolic profile, both associated with increased levels of triglyceride-rich very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL) and intermediate-density lipoproteins (IDL), amino acids and glycolysis-related metabolites, and decreased levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDL). Moreover, factors like hormonal changes associated with menstruation and contraceptive use or education level influence the metabolite levels. Participants were clustered into three distinct clusters based on lifestyle-related factors, revealing metabolic similarities between obese and older individuals, despite diverse lifestyle factors, suggesting accelerated metabolic aging with obesity. Our results show that metabolic associations to cancer risk may partly be explained by modifiable lifestyle factors.