Association of high adherence to vegetables-and-fruits dietary pattern with quality of life among Chinese women with early stage breast cancer

Abstract

Purpose: Dietary intake and patients’ quality of life (QoL) are important supportive care issues in breast cancer survivorship. This study aimed to identify dietary pattern after breast cancer diagnosis. In addition, the association between dietary patterns and QoL were cross-sectionally investigated.Methods: A breast cancer cohort which included 1462 Chinese women were longitudinally interviewed at four time-points, namely baseline, 18-, 36-, and 60-months after diagnosis. At each follow-up, validated food frequency questionnaires (FFQ) were used to assess patients’ dietary intake, and principal component analysis was used to derive dietary patterns. European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) were used to measure QoL. This study included 1226 patients with invasive disease who completed assessment at 18-month follow-up and had detailed data of dietary intake and QoL. Results: Two major dietary patterns were identified: “grain and animal food pattern” and “vegetables and fruits pattern”. Multivariable linear regression analysis indicated that grain and animal food intake was inversely associated with score for fatigue (P = 0.010) and dyspnea (P = 0.024). Vegetables and fruits intake were positively associated with scores for global health status/QoL (P = 0.002), while inversely associated with score for loss of appetite (P = 0.040) and diarrhea (P = 0.009). Conclusion: This study suggested that high adherence to a vegetables and fruits pattern might have beneficial effect on QoL among Chinese breast cancer patients. Prospective follow-up data could further confirm whether a specific dietary pattern has impact on cancer outcomes.

The association between fatty acid quality indices and quality of life among overweight and obese women: A cross-sectional study

“…Furthermore, Lei et al have reported that dietary patterns involving a higher intake of grains and animal products are associated with poorer functioning in one's roles, while women who consume more fruits and vegetables have better QOL. This finding may be attributed to the ingredients involved in each of these dietary patterns, including refined grains, red and processed meat, and other foods with a high fat content (34). Demark-Wahnefried et al have reported that, among cancer survivors, a low-fat diet that is high in fruits and vegetables is associated with higher levels of physical functioning.…”