Exploring changes in dietary intake, physical activity and body weight during chemotherapy in women with breast cancer: A Mixed‐Methods Study

Abstract

Background: The present study aimed (i) to assess changes in dietary intake (DI), physical activity (PA) and body weight (BW) in breast cancer patients during chemotherapy; (ii) to describe how women explained, experienced and dealt with these potential changes; and (iii) to eventually develop lifestyle intervention strategies tailored to the women's personal needs during chemotherapy.Methods: A longitudinal parallel mixed-method design was used with quantitative assessment of changes in dietary intake (24-h recall, Appetite, Hunger, Sensory Perception questionnaire), physical activity (Short Questionnaire to Assess Healthenhancing physical activity, Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory) and BW (dualenergy X-ray absorptiometry), in addition to qualitative interviews with 25 women about these potential changes during chemotherapy.Results: Most women who perceived eating less healthily with low energy intake (EI) and being less active before diagnosis continued to do so during chemotherapy, according to quantitative measurements. They struggled to maintain sufficient energy intake. Despite a lower than average reported EI, they unexpectedly gained weight and explained that fatigue made them even more inactive during chemotherapy.Active women usually managed to stay active because exercise was very important to them and made them feel good, although they also suffered from the side-effects of chemotherapy. They found more ways to deal with taste, smell and appetite problems than women with a lower energy intake. Conclusions:The combination of the quantitative and qualitative data provided more insight into the changes in dietary intake, physical activity and BW during chemotherapy. The women's explanations showed why some women remain active and others need support to deal with changes in lifestyle factors such as healthy nutrition and fatigue.

Dysgeusia in Patients with Breast Cancer Treated with Chemotherapy—A Narrative Review

“…Weight loss may derive from a reduced intake of foods and drinks [ 29 , 47 ]. Indeed, among the main reasons for decreased oral food intake, dysgeusia has been reported in 42.2% of cancer patients [ 48 ], while weight gain may be due to the consumption of strongly flavored, tasty, savory, and energy-dense comfort foods as well as sweetened drinks [ 20 , 23 , 49 ]. However, a recent prospective study [ 50 ] aiming to investigate the relationship between taste alterations and changes in food habits and body weight among 182 women with early BC during adjuvant CT reported that patients changed their dietary habits mostly to follow the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) recommendations (i.e., maintain a healthy weight, be physically active, eat wholegrains, vegetables, fruit and beans, limit ‘fast foods’, red and processed meat, sugar-sweetened drinks, and alcohol consumption [ 51 ].…”

“…Indeed, the lack of eating enjoyment leads to inadequate energy and essential nutrient intakes, resulting in malnutrition, reduced compliance with treatment regimens, impaired immunity defense, and, ultimately, poor prognosis [ 4 ]. Moreover, taste alterations may adversely impact the daily habits and social lives of cancer patients [ 54 ], with a highly negative influence on QoL and self-esteem in BC patients [ 49 ]. Several studies reported a worsening of QoL as a consequence of CT-related taste and smell alterations in BC patients [ 3 , 11 , 13 , 16 , 22 , 30 , 53 , 55 , 56 ].…”

Análise da assertividade do manejo do peso corporal associado a cinesioterapia de pacientes com diagnóstico de câncer de mama

“…Explorando mudanças na ingestão alimentar, atividade física e peso corporal durante a quimioterapia em mulheres com de Kruif et al (2021) Avaliar as mudanças na ingestão alimentar (DI), atividade física (AF) e peso corporal (PC) em pacientes Um desenho de método misto longitudinal paralelo, foi usado como avaliação quantitativa de mudanças na ingestão alimentar A maioria das mulheres que percebiam a alimentação menos saudável com baixa ingestão energética (EI) e que eram menos ativas antes do diagnóstico continuou a A combinação dos dados quantitativos e qualitativos forneceu mais informações sobre as mudanças na ingestão alimentar, atividade física e peso corporal durante a Research, Society and Development, v. 11, n. 9, e35011931998, 2022 (CC BY 4.0) | ISSN 2525-3409 | DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v11i9.31998 6 câncer de mama: um estudo de métodos mistos. com câncer de mama durante a quimioterapia; (ii) descrever como as mulheres explicaram, vivenciaram e lidaram com essas possíveis mudanças; e (iii) eventualmente desenvolver estratégias de intervenção no estilo de vida adaptadas às necessidades pessoais das mulheres durante a quimioterapia.…”

Knowledge, attitudes and behaviors toward healthy eating among Chinese cancer patients treated with chemotherapy: A systematic review

“…However, the results on the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of these patients toward healthy eating are not conclusive. Some studies reported that many patients with breast cancer were shocked and afraid of weight gain after chemotherapy, 25 some of them sought information about healthy eating to maintain their body image, 26 but some may increase the intake of sweets and fats to relieve stress. 27 Further exploration of more types of cancer should be considered.…”