Cross-cultural differences in diet and quality of life between Taiwanese and American women during breast cancer treatment.

Abstract

e23187 Background: Limited research has examined the role of different food types (vegetables, fruits, meat, fat, and whole grains) on quality of life (QoL) among cancer patients undergoing active treatment. This study aimed to examine what different food intakes are associated with QoL among American and Taiwanese women who are newly diagnosed with breast cancer (BC). Methods: This ongoing observational study enrolled 77 American (Black, Latina, and non-Hispanic White) adult women from MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and 79 Taiwanese women from National Taiwan University Hospital. They were diagnosed with stage 0-III primary BC within six months prior to enrollment, were undergoing surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, with no other cancers. Patient-reported overall health and QoL were assessed using the two global health items from the EORTC-QLQ30. Three random 24-hour diet recalls (two weekdays and one weekend) were administered using the NIH-developed ASA24 program. Linear regression was conducted to examine the associations between food categories and QoL outcome, adjusting for nationality, age, cancer stage, treatment type, body mass index, physical activities, financial problems, and appetite loss. Results: American and Taiwanese patients displayed differing food intake during BC treatment. Taiwanese patients consumed less starchy vegetables and total fat (both p < .01) than American patients, on average. Multivariate results indicated that QoL was positively associated with higher total vegetable intake (excluding starchy vegetables and legumes; β = 5.38, 95% CI: 0.22, 1.20), controlling for other food types and covariates. Starchy vegetables and legumes showed non-significant negative effects on QoL. QoL was positively associated with total fat intake (β = 0.11, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.21). Total meat, fruit, and whole grain intakes were not significantly associated with QoL. Conclusions: The associations between food intakes and QoL were not affected by nationality, regardless of food type. Non-starchy vegetables and adequate total fat intakes may support BC patients undergoing treatments. More research is needed to verify the identified associations and explore how cancer treatment affects the digestion of certain food types and their potential impact on QoL. This study provides cross-cultural insights into potential nutritional influence on QoL among patients undergoing cancer treatment.