Abstract
Background
Lifestyle factors, such as diet, body weight, and physical activity, are linked to
better survival after breast cancer (BC) diagnosis. A high percentage of the Malaysian
population is overweight or obese. In addition, studies have shown a disparity in
survival among Malaysian women compared with other higher-income countries. The Malaysian
Breast Cancer Survivorship Cohort (MyBCC) study aims to study lifestyle factors that
affect survival in BC survivors. These are the preliminary findings on the nutritional
status of Malaysian BC survivors.
Objective
Our aim was to evaluate the nutritional status of BC survivors at 1 year after diagnosis.
Design
This was a cross-sectional study of 194 participants from the MyBCC study, recruited
within 1 year of their diagnosis. Participants completed a 3-day food diary.
Participants
Malaysian women (aged 18 years and older) who were newly diagnosed with primary BC,
managed at the University Malaya Medical Center, and able to converse either in Malay,
English, or Mandarin were included.
Main outcome measures
Dietary intake and prevalence of overweight or obesity among participants 1 year after
diagnosis were measured.
Statistical analyses performed
Student’s t test and analysis of variance or its equivalent nonparametric test were used for
association in continuous variables.
Results
About 66% (n=129) of participants were overweight or obese and >45% (n=86) had high
body fat percentage 1 year after diagnosis. The participants’ diets were low in fiber
(median=8.7 g/day; interquartile range=7.2 g/day) and calcium (median=458 mg/day;
interquartile range=252 mg/day). Ethnicity and educational attainment contributed
to the differences in dietary intake among participants. Higher saturated fat and
lower fiber intake were observed among Malay participants compared with other ethnic
groups.
Conclusions
Overweight and obesity were highly prevalent among BC survivors and suboptimal dietary
intake was observed. Provision of an individualized medical nutrition therapy by a
qualified dietitian is crucial as part of comprehensive BC survivorship care.
Keywords
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Biography
H. A. Majid is an associate professor, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and a visiting fellow/scientist, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston MA.
Biography
L. P. Keow is a dietitian, Hospital Taiping, Jalan Taming Sari, Taiping, Perak, Malaysia.
Biography
T. Islam is a senior lecturer, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Biography
N. A. Taib is a professor, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Biography
T. T. Su is an associate professor, Center for Population Health and Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Biography
M. Cantwell is an associate professor, Nutrition and Metabolism Group, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, United Kingdom.
Article info
Publication history
Published online: July 27, 2017
Accepted:
May 30,
2017
Received:
December 1,
2016
Footnotes
STATEMENT OF POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
FUNDING/SUPPORT The study was supported by a High Impact Research grant UM.C/HIR/MOHE/06 from the Ministry of Higher Education of Malaysia and UMQUB fund.
Identification
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© 2018 by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
