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Height, Body Mass Index, Physical Activity, and Glioma Risk

• The NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study investigated height, body mass index (BMI), and physical activity in relation to glioma risk in U.S. men and women.
• Participants completed a baseline questionnaire inquiring about height, weight, and potential confounders. A second questionnaire inquired about physical activity during ages 15 to 18, 19 to 29, 35 to 39 years, and the past 10 years. The study also inquired about body weight at ages 18, 35, and 50 years.
• During follow-up from 1995-1996 to 2003, nearly 500 cases of glioma were documented among approximately 500,000 respondents to the baseline questionnaire. Over 250 cases were documented among approximately 300,000 respondents to the second questionnaire.
• Increased adult height, increased BMI during adolescence, and physical activity during adolescence were each associated with glioma risk, supporting a role for early-life energy balance in glioma carcinogenesis.