By Hannah Hoag
The Simple Life
Diets for breast cancer survivors don’t have to be complicated
By Hannah Hoag
The study found no significant difference in breast cancer recurrence rates between the two groups. When the results were published by John Pierce, the head of the study and the director of the Cancer Prevention and Control program at the University of California, San Diego, in the July 18, 2007, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, they generated a lot of confusing headlines. “Fruits, veggies won’t stop cancer return,” read one. The study’s conclusions were complicated by the fact that women in both groups were already eating about seven servings of fruits and vegetables daily at the start of the study—more than the average amount consumed by Americans.
Pierce then looked at the survival rates among the group of women in the WHEL study who received no intervention. Women who consumed five or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily and did 30 minutes of moderate exercise six days a week had a higher 10-year survival rate than those who didn’t.
“The two papers [by Pierce] suggest that if you’re eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day and being moderately active, there is not much to be gained by doing any more,” says Norman Boyd, an epidemiologist at the Ontario Cancer Institute, in Toronto. Results from additional trials on diet and breast cancer recurrence and survival are sure to follow, but these studies offer some straightforward advice: Eat your fruits and veggies, and exercise regularly.
Kathleen Newman, a registered dietitian at the University of California at Davis Cancer Center in Sacramento, says she sees a lot of women who are panicky about their future. “I try to simplify things for them,” she says. She has her clients think about their diet throughout the day, from breakfast through dinner. Often they find they’re eating more fruits and vegetables than they realize. “You might just have to add an apple midday and a piece of fruit at dessert,” she says. “You have to show them that it can fit into their lives.”
Colleen Timmons, a clinical nutrition specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, recommends switching to a new diet gradually, especially if the shift is a big lifestyle change. Snacks aren’t off-limits, she says, but portion size has to be kept under control. To avoid eating too much, Timmons suggests splitting larger bags of chips or cookies into individual portions and storing them in re-sealable plastic bags.
Keeping a food diary is definitely a strategy, Timmons adds. “It helps the dietitian and helps people [account for] any mindless eating they might be doing during the day. But diaries can be tedious for some.”
“I always go back to two words: moderation and variety,” says Newman. “Good old common sense will go a long way.” 