TITLE: Changes in Food, Beverages, and Dietary Supplements made by Breast Cancer

Survivors (BCS) after Diagnosis: A Pilot Study

LEARNING OUTCOME: The learner will identify (1) the most frequent changes made to
foods, beverages, dietary supplements, and cooking methods by breast cancer survivors (2) the
sources of information for the changes and (3) which changes were discussed with the cancer
treatment team.
TEXT: Cancer patients adopt complementary treatments without notifying their cancer treatment
team (CTT). The purpose of this pilot study was to determine (1) what, if any, changes were
made to foods, beverages, dietary supplements (DS), and cooking methods by BCS after
diagnosis (2) to determine the source of information about making changes and (3) to determine
if the change was discussed with their CTT. The study was approved by IRB.
Fifty-three BCS patients completed 103 item questionnaire. Mean age: 52.7, 100% female,
93.9% stage I or II, 95.4% non-Hispanic or Latino, 80.8% Caucasian. For changes in foods
eaten, 47.1% increased intake of fruits and vegetables, 45.1% made no change, and 35.3%
reduced intake of processed foods. For changes in beverages consumed, 46.2% stopped drinking
soda, 33.3% started drinking green tea, and 23.1% started drinking medical food supplements.
For changes in DS, 84.6% started vitamin D, 30.8% chose other, and 25.6% started fish oil.
For changes in food preparation, 44.8% stopped deep frying foods, 24.1% steamed vegetables,
and 20.7% stopped using the microwave. Sources of information about these changes were:
doctor, nurse, or dietitian = 26.5%, family or friends = 19.9%, and internet = 10.6%. For
discussing changes with CTT, 41.8% reported yes and 44.3% reported no. BCS reported
discussing DS changes with CTT the most = 61.5%. Results suggest that BCS make various
changes in food, beverages, DS, and cooking methods. Further research is needed to address the
gap in knowledge of dietary changes made after diagnosis by BCS.