Concordance between the WCRF recommendations and reduced global cardiovascular risk in a cohort of survived breast cancer patients

Background: body weight control by proper diet management following the World Cancer Research Fund recommendations (WCRF) and physical activity play a role in reducing cancer risk and improving quality of life. The study evaluates the concordance between the WCRF recommendations, updated to 2017, and the improvement of anthropometric and physical parameters in a cohort of patients with previous stable breast cancer, without signs of co-morbidity and in complete remission of neoplastic disease, in Italy. Methods: this is an open, randomized, controlled, parallel clinical trial. Twenty-one patients with previous breast cancer were recruited at the Department of Sports Medicine and Exercise of the University Hospital, Florence. The patients were divided into two groups (Group 1 and Group 2). They were submitted to two evaluations in a week: in the first a complete evaluation was performed in terms of body composition, physical performance, myocardial conditions and adherence to the Mediterranean diet. In the end, a weekly food diary was delivered to understand patient habits. In the second visit, after the completion of the food diary, an in-depth analysis on nutrition was carried out. Lifestyle and nutrition were corrected for G1 using WCRF recommendations; instead, general and standardized food councils have been delivered to G2. The follow-up was two months for patients of both groups, in which all anthropometric, physical and dietary measures were repeated. Results: Significant improvements were observed in G1 for the following anthropometric parameters: BMI -0.4 (from 28.6 to 28.2; 95% CI), weight -1.0 kg (from 72.7 to 71.7; 95% CI), waist circumference -1.7 cm (from 93.5 to 91.8; 95% CI) and hip circumference -1.3 cm (from 104.9 to 103.6; 99% CI). Adherence to the Mediterranean diet, determined with the MEDI-LITE score, was increased by 1 point (from 14 to 15; 99% CI). Finally, significant improvements were identified for the amount of weekly physical activity, equal to 35 minutes (from 173 to 208; 99% CI) and for strength of the lower body, determined with the Chair Test, equal to two repetitions (from 17 to 19; 95% CI). Conclusions: The study suggests that the following WCRF recommendations could significantly improve most of the anthropometric and physical parameters among female breast cancer survivors. It can be widely proposed in populations. *Correspondence to: Laura Stefani, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Unit of Sports Medicine, Via delle Oblate, 50141, Florence, Italy, E-mail: laura.stefani@unifi.it