Background: Diets rich in minimally processed plant-based foods are recommended to breast cancer patients, and some may have an interest in whole-food, plant-based (WFPB) diets that avoid animal-based foods, added fats, and refined sugars. Within WFPB diets, the intakes of isoflavones, omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-6 PUFAs), and omega-3 polyunsaturated FAs (n-3 PUFAs), which have been discussed in reference to breast cancer outcomes, have not been well characterized.
Methods: Women with stage IV breast cancer on stable therapy were randomized 2:1 into (1) a WFPB intervention (N = 21) or (2) usual care (N = 11) for 8 weeks. Three meals per day were provided. Outcomes presented here include dietary intake of isoflavones, n-3 and n-6- PUFAs, which were assessed using three-day food records at baseline and 8 weeks. Baseline and 8-week mean intake within groups were compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and between control and intervention groups by a two-sample t-test.
Results: The WFPB intervention participants increased their daily consumption of total isoflavones from a mean of 0.8 mg/day to 14.5 mg/day (p < 0.0001) and decreased the n-6:n-3 ratio of their diet from a mean of 9.3 to 3.7 (p < 0.0001). Within the WFPB group, linoleic acid (n-6 PUFA) consumption decreased by a mean of 3.8 g (p = 0.0095), from 12.8 g/day to 9.0 g/day; total n-3 PUFA consumption increased by a mean of 1.1 g (p = 0.0005), from 1.6 g/day to 2.7 g/day.
Conclusion: Transitioning to a WFPB diet resulted in significantly increased isoflavone intake and decreased n-6:n-3 ratio in women with breast cancer.
Keywords: breast cancer; isoflavones; omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids; omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids; omega-6/-3 ratio; plant-based diet; soy; vegan diet.
Copyright © 2024 Lee, Campbell, Culakova, Blanchard, Wixom, Peppone and Campbell.