Does healthy diet lower heart disease risk in breast cancer survivors?

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of non-breast cancer-related mortality in women with breast cancer, who face a higher risk of cardiovascular issues compared to those without breast cancer. This increased risk is attributed to the cardiotoxic effects of breast cancer treatments and shared risk factors like aging, sedentary lifestyle, and smoking. Dietary recommendations for breast cancer survivors have been scarce, mainly relying on cancer prevention research until recent times.

In the study, researchers used data from the Pathways Study to investigate the link between diet quality and cardiovascular events in women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. The study, comprising 3,415 participants, assessed diet quality based on the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, which prioritizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and low-fat dairy while limiting sodium, red meats, processed meats, and sugary beverages. Other diets, including a plant-based diet, the 2020 Healthy Eating Index, and the alternate Mediterranean diet, were also evaluated for their impact on heart health.

The results revealed that women with diets resembling the DASH diet at breast cancer diagnosis had significantly lower risks of heart failure, arrhythmia, cardiac arrest, valvular heart disease, and venous thromboembolic disease compared to those with diets less aligned with DASH. Higher intake of low-fat dairy was associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease-related death. Additionally, the impact of DASH on cardiovascular disease risk seemed to vary depending on the type of chemotherapy received.

“Our findings suggest that we need to begin talking to breast cancer survivors about the potential heart benefits of the DASH diet. We know that breast cancer survivors have an elevated risk for cardiovascular disease, and the diet might be able to help improve the overall health of this population” said the paper’s lead author, Isaac J. Ergas.

Reference: Isaac J Ergas, PhD, MPH, MFA, et al,; Diet quality and cardiovascular disease risk among breast cancer survivors in the Pathways Study; JNCI Cancer Spectrum; https://doi.org/10.1093/jncics/pkae013