A recent study shows that a healthy diet reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease in women who have overcome breast cancer
In an article published in JNCI Cancer Spectrum, researchers at Kaiser Permanente Northern California analyzed 3,415 women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer between 2005 and 2013 and tracked their health status through 2021. Using a scoring system based on the DASH diet, the original Developed to treat high blood pressure, they found that women whose diets were more DASH-oriented had a significantly lower risk of heart failure, cardiac arrhythmias, cardiac arrest, heart valve disease and venous thromboembolism. The benefits of the DASH diet may be particularly important for women who received anthracycline chemotherapy, as they showed a more significant reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease compared to other treatment regimens.
For the study, researchers analyzed data from more than 3,400 women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer at Kaiser Permanente Northern California between 2005 and 2013. The women were monitored until 2021.
Women whose diet was most similar to DASH at the time of their breast cancer diagnosis had a 47% lower risk of heart failure, a 23% lower risk of irregular heart rhythm or cardiac arrest, a 21% lower risk of heart valve disease, etc. The results show that The risk of deep vein thrombosis is 25% lower.
The DASH diet focuses on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and low-fat milk. Additionally, limit your consumption of salt, red and processed meats, and sugary drinks.
Specifically, researchers found that higher consumption of low-fat dairy products reduced the risk of cardiac death after all other food groups were taken into account.
The association between the DASH diet and heart disease also appeared to be modified by the type of chemotherapy the woman received, the researchers added.
Chemotherapy regimens containing anthracyclines, a type of chemotherapy known to damage the heart, benefited more from a healthy diet than others when it came to heart health.
REFERENCE
Diet quality and risk of cardiovascular disease in breast cancer survivors in the Pathways study.