Purpose To assess the effects of dietary and physical activity (PA) interventions on generic and cancer-specific quality of life (QoL), anxiety, and depression levels among adult Chinese colorectal cancer (CRC) survivors. Methods Two-hundred twenty-three adult CRC survivors within 1 year of completion of primary cancer treatment were randomized to receive dietary, PA or combined intervention, or usual care for a 12 monthduration, under a 2 (diet vs usual care) × 2 (PA vs usual care) factorial design. Generic and cancer-specific QoL was assessed using a Chinese version 12-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12) and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Colorectal (FACT-C) scale, respectively. Anxiety and depression was assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale at baseline, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months. Linear mixed models were used for examining the intervention effects. Results Participants receiving dietary intervention experienced a significant improvement in the generic measure of QoL (SF-6D utility scores, mean difference 0.042, 95%CI 0.03 to 0.081) at 12 months, the cancer-specific QoL scores (mean difference 3.09, 95%CI 0.13 to 6.04), and levels of depression (P = 0.015) at both 12 and 24 months follow-up. Participants receiving PA intervention only demonstrated a significant improvement in SF-6D utility index (mean difference 0.039, 95%CI 0.002 to 0.077) and physical functioning (mean difference 2.85, 95%CI 1.00 to 4.70) at 6 months. Conclusions Dietary intervention improved the generic and cancer-specific QoL and depression in CRC survivors. Trial registration The study was prospectively registered on 17 October 2012 at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01708824). Implications for Cancer Survivors CRC survivors can benefit from dietary interventions in alleviating depression and improving overall health-related QoL.

Liver cirrhosis is associated with significant nutritional risks that often result in serious hepatic complications and poor survival rates. Diet is an important but underutilized aspect in the treatment modality of cirrhosis. Therefore, the aims of this review are to ascertain nutritional risks associated with its pathophysiology and to summarize existing evidence that support dietary recommendations for managing this patient population. Alterations in substrate utilization for energy production is a main feature of liver cirrhosis, resulting in increased catabolism of protein stores and a predisposition toward protein-energy malnutrition, even in the early stages of the disease. The body of evidence suggests that a high energy and protein (>1.2 g/kg body weight/d) diet consumed frequently and late in the evening is effective in improving nutritional status of these patients and has been associated with improved hospitalization and mortality rates. The use of branched-chain amino acid supplementation shows promise in reducing cirrhosis-related complications but are currently limited by adverse gastrointestinal symptoms and poor palatability. Furthermore exploration of dietary manipulation of branched-chain amino acid warrants further examination. Evidence is also accumulating that protein intake should not be restricted in patients with hepatic encephalopathy with earlier studies of protein restriction neglecting to account for the relative increase in fermentable fiber which would reduce the absorption of ammonia into the portal system in a way similar to supplementation with lactulose. Finally, a major finding of this review is the need to improve the quality and quantity of dietary intervention studies for patients with liver cirrhosis, particularly with the use of partial or whole dietary sources. In conclusion, dietary management of cirrhosis is not a one-size fits all approach but should be implemented earlier on in the treatment algorithm to improve the clinical prognosis of cirrhosis.

There has been evidence on the protective effects of diets high in fiber and low in red and processed meat (RPM), and physical activity (PA) against colorectal cancer (CRC) development, but that against CRC recurrence has been limited. This study evaluated the efficacy of a behavioral program comprising dietary and PA interventions in improving Chinese CRC survivors’ lifestyle. A 2 × 2 factorial randomized controlled trial of 223 CRC patients (82 females, mean age 65), randomly assigned to receive dietary, PA or both interventions, or usual care for 12 months, and assessed every 6 months for 24 months. Primary outcomes included two dietary and two PA targets. Secondary outcomes included changes in dietary consumptions and PA levels. Dietary interventions significantly increased the odds of achieving the targets of consuming less RPM at all time-points (OR 3.22–4.57, all p < 0.01) and refined grain (RG) at months 6 (OR 3.13, p = 0.002) and 24 (OR 2.19, p = 0.039), and reduced RPM (2.49–3.48 servings/week, all p < 0.01) and RG (0.31–0.5 servings/day, all p < 0.01) consumptions. Patients receiving PA interventions potentially spent more time on moderate-to-vigorous PA. This study demonstrated the efficacy of a behavioral program in improving dietary habits of Chinese CRC survivors.

Traditional Chinese Food Therapy has long been an integral part of dietary practices in Sinosphere Asia. This therapy is defined by the classification of foods into cooling (Yin) and heaty (Yang) and the manipulation of dietary intake of these foods as a therapeutic strategy for chronic diseases. Both functional dyspepsia (FD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are chronic, functional gut disorders widely prevalent in Sinosphere Asia. Diet is increasingly recognized as a symptom trigger in FD and IBS, and the evidence suggesting the utility of diet therapies as front-line management is growing, particularly in the West. Specifically, a diet low in Fermentable, Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides, and Polyols is an efficacious therapy for patients with IBS. In contrast, a proportion of patients with IBS in Sinosphere Asia utilize Chinese Food Therapy for symptom management. Chinese Food Therapy provides an attractive target for integration with evidence-based Western dietary therapies as a management strategy in FD and IBS. However, significant gaps in research exist with the utility of Chinese Food Therapy that first need to be addressed. This includes a lack of standardization for heaty and cooling classification, limited mechanistic rationale or clinical studies supporting its efficacy in FD and IBS, and the lack of an ideal practitioner for implementation of Chinese Food Therapy. Hence, the review provides a summary of the role of diet and nutrition in Sinosphere Asia with an emphasis on FD and IBS, and an examination of how modern dietary practices may be able to be integrated into practices in this region.