Approved Research

Dietary patterns of cancer survivors in association with a predicted 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease and incidence of cardiovascular disease: a cross-sectional analysis of the UK Biobank

Lay summary

Improvements in the detection and treatment of cancer have over the past several decades have increased the chances of survival. Improved survival has resulted in an increasing population of cancer survivors. Cancer survivors are now recognized to be at an increased risk for the development of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and obesity. Thus, there is an urgent need for cardiovascular risk reduction strategies for cancer survivors. Commonly, lifestyle behaviours including physical activity, diet, and smoking are used for cardiovascular risk prevention. Of these behaviours, there is the least known about the role of nutrition on cardiovascular disease risk in cancer survivors. This is important because cancer survivors have been shown to consume lower quality foods compared to individuals without cancer diagnoses. For example, cancer survivors consume more empty calories and processed food, and have a lower intake of fibre, fruits and vegetables. The impact of nutritional intake on the risk of cardiovascular disease in cancer survivors has not been well established. Therefore, there are no nutrition guidelines available to help survivors with their nutritional choices.

The purpose of this project is to determine whether there is a relationship between dietary patterns and cardiovascular disease in cancer survivors compared to those not diagnosed with cancer. The first aim is to establish the relationship between dietary intake patterns and the risk of cardiovascular disease in both groups. The second aim is to identify specific dietary patterns that increase cardiovascular disease risk within each group. The third aim is to determine whether men and women differ in how dietary patterns relate to cardiovascular disease risk. Our project will enable the first look into the relationship of dietary patterns with cardiovascular risk in cancer survivors and how nutrition recommendations may vary compared to those not diagnosed with cancer. The estimated timeline for the project would be approximately 18 months after the project is initiated.