Eating Earlier and More Frequently Is Associated With Better Diet Quality in Female Brazilian Breast Cancer Survivors Using Tamoxifen.

BACKGROUND: Emerging literature demonstrates that eating time and frequency are associated with quality and quantity of food consumption and anthropometric measurements. Considering that unhealthy dietary choices and obesity are important modifiable risk factors for breast cancer incidence and recurrence, this subject is relevant and has not been studied sufficiently in breast cancer survivors. OBJECTIVE: This study's aim was to examine the association of eating time and frequency with diet quality, quantity of food consumption, anthropometric measurements, and body composition parameters in female breast cancer survivors using tamoxifen. DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS/SETTING: This study was conducted from March 2015 to March 2016 at a Brazilian university hospital (Clinic's Hospital, Federal University of Uberlandia, Uberlandia, Minas Gerais, Brazil) and included an assessment of 84 female breast cancer survivors using tamoxifen (mean [SD] age was 53.1 [8.7] years). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Quantitative dietary assessment consisted of three 24-hour dietary recalls. The Brazilian Healthy Eating Index Revised was used for the qualitative diet analysis. Participants were classified by median eating time (early or late eaters of breakfast, lunch, and dinner), as well as by considering the middle time point between the first and last meal of the day (early or late midpoint eaters). Participants were also classified by median eating frequency (<5 or ≥5 eating episodes per day). Anthropometric measurements and body fat percentage by bioelectrical impedance were obtained. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Generalized linear models and generalized mixed models were used to assess the associations between variables. RESULTS: Early breakfast and dinner eating and early midpoint eating were associated with better scores for specific Brazilian Healthy Eating Index Revised components (P < .05). Early breakfast and dinner eating were also associated with better scores for the total index (P = .035 and P = .017, respectively). Early dinner eaters and early midpoint eaters had significantly lower daily energy consumption (P = .007 and P = .002, respectively). Eating ≥5 episodes per day was also associated with better scores of specific Brazilian Healthy Eating Index Revised components and the total index (P < .05). No significant associations between eating time and frequency with anthropometric measurements and body composition parameters were found (P > .05). However, women in the healthy body mass index category vs women in the overweight/obesity category had higher energy consumption at breakfast (P = .046). CONCLUSIONS: Earlier food intake time was associated with better diet quality and lower daily energy consumption. Higher frequency of eating was also associated with better diet quality. Future studies, such as randomized controlled trials, are needed to evaluate interventions addressing the timing and frequency of meals and their effect on diet quality and quantity in breast cancer survivors.

Breast Cancer Survivors Undergoing Endocrine Therapy Have a Worrying Risk Factor Profile for Cardiovascular Diseases.

The increased risk for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in breast cancer survivors has been widely discussed in the literature and occurs due to the cardiotoxicity of antineoplastic treatments, and also to the common risk factors between these diseases. Thus, the objective of our study was to evaluate, prospectively, the number of risk factors (NRF) for CVDs in women during endocrine therapy, and to associate the NRF with C reactive protein (CRP) and phase angle (PhA). The following risk factors for CVD were evaluated at three times: anthracycline chemotherapy, radiotherapy, comorbidities, inadequate diet, overweight, abdominal adiposity, alcoholism, smoking, physical inactivity and altered lipid profile. There was inadequacy in the most components of the Brazilian Healthy Eating Index-Revised and inadequate consumption of various types of fats and fibers. Most women in this study presented excessive abdominal fat and overweight, but these parameters have not changed over time (p < 0.005). Moreover, a high frequency of systemic arterial hypertension and physical inactivity was observed. The average NRF for CVDs was above ten, at the three evaluation times. Women with higher NRF had higher levels of CRP (p = 0.003), a predictor of cardiovascular risk, however, there was no significance with PhA (p = 0.256). Thus, intervention is needed to improve lifestyle.