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Topical Area: Diet and Cancer

Diet and Cancer (Poster Session)

(P13-004-23) Almonds and Nuts Consumption After One Year of Nutrition Counselling and Body Weight Changes in Women With Breast Cancer: An Analysis of DEDiCa Trial Data

Sunday, July 23, 2023
12:45 PM – 1:45 PM ET
Location: Poster Board 230

    Presenting Author(s)

  • LA

    Livia S.A. Augustin, PhD

    Nutrition researcher
    National Cancer Institute IRCCS Fondazione G. Pascale, Napoli
    Naples, Campania, Italy

    • Co-Author(s)

  • PD

    Piergiacomo Di Gennaro

    Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit, National Cancer Institute, IRCCS Fondazione G. Pascale, Naples, Italy

  • SV

    Sara Vitale

    Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit, National Cancer Institute, IRCCS Fondazione G. Pascale, Naples, Italy

  • EP

    Elvira Palumbo, Degree

    Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit, National Cancer Institute, IRCCS Fondazione G. Pascale, Naples, Italy
    Naples, Campania, Italy

  • AL

    Assunta Luongo

    Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit, National Cancer Institute, IRCCS Fondazione G. Pascale, Naples, Italy

  • GP

    Giuseppe Porciello

    Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit, National Cancer Institute, IRCCS Fondazione G. Pascale, Naples, Italy

  • AC

    Anna Crispo, Dr

    Statistician-Epidemiologist
    Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit, National Cancer Institute, IRCCS Fondazione G. Pascale, Naples, Italy
    Naples, Campania, Italy

  • MG

    Maria Grimaldi

    Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit, National Cancer Institute, IRCCS Fondazione G. Pascale, Naples, Italy

  • RP

    Rosa Pica

    Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit, National Cancer Institute, IRCCS Fondazione G. Pascale, Naples, Italy

  • IC

    Ilaria Calabrese

    Healthcare Direction, "A. Cardarelli" Hospital, Naples, Italy

  • GR

    Gabriele Riccardi

    Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University, Naples, Italy

  • DJ

    David J. Jenkins

    Professor
    Department of Nutritional Sciences and Medicine, Temerty, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada 5 Clinical Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification Centre, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Canada 6 Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Canada 7 Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Canada
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada

  • MD

    Michelino De Laurentiis

    Division of Breast Oncology, National Cancer Institute - IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”, Naples, Italy

  • EC

    Egidio Celentano

    Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit, National Cancer Institute, IRCCS Fondazione G. Pascale, Naples, Italy

Disclosure(s):
Anna Crispo, Dr: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.


Objectives: Higher postdiagnosis body mass index (BMI) in women with breast cancer (BC) has been associated with higher BC-specific mortality. Healthy diets containing nuts have been inversely associated with cardiometabolic diseases which are highly prevalent in women with BC. However, owing to their high caloric profile, nuts tend to be consumed very sparingly. We investigated increased almond and nuts consumption through dietary counselling in relation to body weight changes in BC survivors.

Methods: The study population consisted of 388 women (mean age 52±9 years, BMI 27.3±5.4 kg/m2) with a BC diagnosis (stages I-III) enrolled in an Italian multicentre, lifestyle modification trial to reduce BC recurrence with a program consisting of Mediterranean diet, exercise and vitamin D supplementation (DEDiCa study). Participants received dietary counselling and food samples (e.g. almonds, pasta, whole grain bread) at each quarterly visit when data were collected including dietary data, body weight, waist circumference (WC) and BMI. Participants’ 7-food records were analyzed with nutritional analysis software Winfood. Student’s t-test for changes and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to estimate beta coefficients for 10-gram increments in almonds or total nut consumption from baseline to 12 months with changes in body weight, WC and BMI.

Results: Mean daily almond and nut consumption at baseline were 2±4 g and 5±10 g, respectively, and increased by 5.8-fold and 4.5-fold, respectively, after 12 months on the lifestyle program. Mean body weight changed significantly (p < 0.0001) by -2.9±4.3 kg, WC by -2.5±5.7 cm and BMI by -0.9±1.7 kg/m2. A 10-gram increment in almond or total nuts consumption inversely associated with body weight changes (beta coefficient -0.4; -0.9, -0.1 and -0.4; -0.7, -0.1, respectively; p< 0.05) and directly with dietary fibre, mono- and poly-unsaturated fatty acids, while inversely with saturated fatty acids, dietary cholesterol and glycemic index.

Conclusions: A 10-gram increase in daily consumption of almonds or nuts was associated with weight loss and may help to displace unhealthy foods in the diet of women with BC living in a Mediterranean area. These findings have relevance considering the higher BC mortality observed with weight gain after diagnosis.

Funding Sources: Italian Ministry of Health (PE-2013-02358099; RC L1/1)