The Role of the Mediterranean Diet in Breast Cancer Survivorship: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies and Randomised Controlled Trials

Ge Chen, Sam D Leary, Jizhao Niu, Rachel E Perry, Angeliki Papadaki*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle (Academic Journal)peer-review

8 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Female breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer. The long-term survival rates for this disease have increased; however, the unique demand for high-quality healthcare to improve breast-cancer survivorship are commonly unmet. The Mediterranean diet (MD) is associated with reduced breast-cancer risk and various health-related benefits in the general population, but its effect on breast-cancer survivors remains uncertain. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess current evidence from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies (cohort, cross-sectional and case-control) regarding the effect of the MD on survival, quality of life (QoL) and health-related outcomes in female breast-cancer survivors. MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science and the Cochrane library were searched for studies published before and including April 2022. Two reviewers independently screened the literature and completed the data extraction and risk-of-bias assessment. Eleven studies (fifteen reports) were included, including two RCTs, four cohort and five cross-sectional studies. The meta-analysis of the cohort studies showed strong evidence of an inverse association between high adherence to the MD and all-cause mortality (hazard ratio (HR) 0.78, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.66–0.93, I2: 0%, Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) = low certainty of evidence) and non-breast-cancer mortality (HR 0.67, 95% CI 0.50–0.90, I2: 0%, GRADE = very low certainty of evidence). The associations between high adherence to the MD and QoL and health-related parameters were not consistent. These findings highlight the potential of adherence to the MD to reduce the risk of mortality. Future research with better study designs, as well as more consistent measurements of QoL and MD adherence, taking into account changes in MD adherence over time and population subgroups, is needed to provide more robust evidence on the survival, QoL and health-related outcomes in BC survivors.
Original languageEnglish
Article number2099
JournalNutrients
Volume15
Issue number9
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 27 Apr 2023

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
We thank Emma Place (University of Bristol) for providing advice regarding the search strategy of this systematic review. Preparation of this review was supported by the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at the University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Bristol. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the National Institute for Health Research or the Department of Health and Social Care.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 by the authors.

Keywords

  • Breast cancer
  • Survivorship
  • Mortality
  • Systematic review
  • Quality of life

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