Dietary changes, including calorie restrictions can help fight breast cancer along with providing other health benefits, a new study finds.
Consumption of a healthy diet has been linked to a string of health benefits along with promoting longer life. The researchers of a new study found consuming a calorie restricted died helps fight breast cancer. The study conducted on a group of mice found that when the mice were fed such a diet, the triple negative subtype of breast cancer was less likely to spread.
"The diet turned on a epigenetic program that protected mice from metastatic disease," said senior author Nicole Simone, an associate professor in the department of Radiation Oncology at Thomas Jefferson University, in a press release.
A calorie restricted diet is when the amount of food consumed daily is reduced by a certain percentage. Researchers found that when mice were fed 30 percent less than what they ate when given free access to food, there was a significant decrease in microRNAs 17 and 20 production in the body. Previous studies have found that these two types of RNAs are often increased in triple negative cancers that metastasize.
Analyzing metabolism during treatment is very important in breast cancer patients. Currently, patients are treated with hormonal therapy to block tumor growth and steroids to counteract the side effects of chemotherapy. Both these treatments cause metabolic changes leading to weight gain. It has been observed that women undergoing cancer treatment gain up to 10 pounds in the first year of treatment. Studies have shown that too much weight makes standard treatments for breast cancer less effective, and those who gain weight during treatment have worse cancer outcomes.
"Calorie restriction promotes epigenetic changes in the breast tissue that keep the extracellular matrix strong," said Simone. "A strong matrix creates a sort of cage around the tumor, making it more difficult for cancer cells to escape and spread to new sites in the body."
Findings of the study can help researchers develop new treatments for breast cancer. According to the study authors, a drug that decreased miR 17 could have the same effect on the extracellular matrix as calorie restriction.
The study was funded by the NCI Cancer Center Support and published online in the journal Breast Cancer Research and Treatment.
