Diet in women with breast cancer compared to healthy controls – What is the difference?

Abstract Purpose After a cancer diagnosis, patients often change their lifestyle in order to improve health. The aim of this study was to examine whether women with breast cancer had changed their diet two years after the diagnosis, and to compare their diet with that of healthy female blood donors. Methods Patients ( n  = 180), median age 58 years ( range 37–78), and 101 controls, median age 57 years ( age 43–75) answered questions about consumption of alcohol, 36 different food items, and information like age, body mass index (BMI), marital status, and years of education. Results Forty patients (22%) had changed their diet. Comparing all patients with controls, significantly more patients avoided alcohol, p  = 0.0005, and 3 of 36 food items; smoked food, p  = 0.04, and milk and other dairy products, p  = 0.02 and p = p  = 0.04. Conclusion Two years after a breast cancer diagnosis, most women (78%) maintained their diet, which was largely similar to the controls. Fifty percent of the patients reported overweight or obesity.