Associations between dietary patterns and the incidence of cardiovascular events in women with breast cancer: A cohort study

Abstract

Background: Breast cancer survivors face an increased risk of post-diagnostic comorbidities, particularly cardiovascular disease (CVD). Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the association between dietary patterns and the risk of CVD events during a one-year follow-up period in women with breast cancer. Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted involving 387 women with breast cancer who were referred to the Isfahan Cardio-Oncology Clinic between February 2021 and October 2022. Dietary intake was assessed at baseline using a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), and key dietary patterns were identified through exploratory factor analysis. Participants were followed for one year, during which any new cardiac dysfunction was classified as a CVD event. To analyze the association between dietary patterns and CVD events, generalized linear models (GLMs) with log-linear Poisson distribution (LPD) were employed, and incidence risk ratios (IRRs) were calculated. Results: The ages of participants at recruitment ranged from 26 to 87 years. During follow-up, 56 (14.47) and 14 (3.6) participants. experienced CVD events at six months and one year, respectively, with left ventricular systolic dysfunction being the most common event (41.47). Three primary dietary patterns were identified: Western diet, Mediterranean diet, and animal product-rich diet. No significant association was found between dietary patterns and CVD events. For instance, in the crude model, the IRRs for the second and third tertiles of the Mediterranean diet were 1.23 (95 CI: 0.71-2.1) and 0.78 (95 CI: 0.41-1.48), respectively. Conclusion: Over the one-year follow-up period, no significant association was observed between dietary patterns and CVD risk in women with breast cancer. However, the third tertile of the Mediterranean diet exhibited a lower IRR compared to other tertiles. Future studies with larger sample sizes or extended follow-up periods, as well as comparisons with non-cancer control groups, may be necessary to more accurately assess the impact of dietary habits on CVD outcomes in breast cancer survivors.