Adhering to high-quality diets could protect well-being and longevity for cancer survivors

Key takeaways:

• Adherence to a healthy dietary pattern was linked to lower all-cause mortality for cancer survivors.
• These diets were characterized in part by high intake of fish, legumes, fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

Following an overall healthy diet after being diagnosed with cancer could promote and protect well-being and longevity, according to the results of research published in Nutrients.

“Cancer survivors have important concerns and face several challenges, such as the late and long-term effects of cancer and its treatment on their survival and quality of life,” Maria-Eleni Spei, MSc, a health economics and outcomes research data scientist for Estima Scientific, and colleagues wrote. “Lifestyle habits and modifications related to a healthy diet and regular physical activity after cancer diagnosis are potentially important behaviors through which cancer survivors could protect and promote their well-being and longevity.”

Even though “cancer survivors have consistently expressed their need for additional nutrition guidance and focused dietary advice,” a lack of evidence means that they have the same dietary recommendations as adults who are apparently healthy, the researchers added.

Spei and colleagues conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies to synthesize the latest evidence supporting the connection between dietary patterns and “robust outcome measures,” like cancer-specific and all-cause mortality.

The researchers included 19 cohort studies published up to October 2022 with 38,846 participants. The studies investigated dietary patterns after diagnosis — both a priori, meaning based diet quality indices, and a posteriori, meaning data driven — and how they related to cancer-specific and total mortality.

When measuring diet quality, “healthy” or “prudent” diets were characterized by a high intake of fish, legumes, fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low intake of processed and red meat. In contrast, the “unhealthy/western” dietary patterns were characterized by a high intake of processed meats, refined grains, animal-based products, salty snacks, sweetened beverages and sweets and desserts.

Spei and colleagues found that a “healthy” overall diet following a cancer diagnosis could promote and protect well-being and longevity, and that adherence to a “healthy” dietary pattern — both a priori or a posteriori — was inversely linked to all-cause mortality among cancer survivors.

More specifically, among all cancer survivors, higher adherence to a “prudent” or “healthy” dietary pattern was connected with lower all-cause mortality (HR = 0.79; 95% CI, 0.64-0.97). In contrast, a “western/unhealthy” dietary pattern was linked to higher all-cause mortality (HR = 1.48; 95% CI, 1.26-1.74).

When looking at a priori dietary patterns, the researchers found that higher adherence was linked to:

• 22% lower all-cause mortality (HR = 0.78; 95% CI, 0.73–0.83) among all cancer survivors;
• 22% lower all-cause mortality (HR = 0.78; 95% CI, 0.73–0.84) among breast cancer survivors; and
• 27% lower all-cause mortality (HR = 0.73; 95% CI, 0.62–0.86) among colorectal cancer survivors.

“Continuous research on the role of dietary patterns after cancer diagnosis is needed in order to confirm the important role of overall diet and issue evidence-based dietary recommendations that will preserve and promote the health and well-being of cancer survivors,” the researchers concluded.