Diet quality indices and changes in cognition during chemotherapy.
Sylvia L Crowder, Taylor L Welniak, Aasha I Hoogland, Brent J Small, Yvelise Rodriguez, Kristen M Carpenter, Stacy M Fischer, Daneng Li, Anita Y Kinney, Daniel Rotroff, Arshiya Mariam, Naomi Brownstein, Richard R Reich, Tim Hembree, Mary C Playdon, Anna E Arthur, Christian AMaino Vieytes, Zonggui Li, Martine Extermann, Richard Kim, Donna L Berry, Heather S L Jim
Author Information
Sylvia L Crowder: Department of Health Outcomes and Behavior, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA.
Taylor L Welniak: Department of Health Outcomes and Behavior, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA.
Aasha I Hoogland: Department of Health Outcomes and Behavior, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA.
Brent J Small: School of Aging Studies, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA.
Yvelise Rodriguez: Department of Health Outcomes and Behavior, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA.
Kristen M Carpenter: Department of Psychiatry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
Stacy M Fischer: Department of General Internal Medicine, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO, USA.
Daneng Li: Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA, USA.
Anita Y Kinney: Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
Daniel Rotroff: Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Cleveland Clinic, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland, OH, USA.
Arshiya Mariam: Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Cleveland Clinic, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland, OH, USA.
Naomi Brownstein: Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA.
Richard R Reich: Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA.
Tim Hembree: Department of Internal and Hospital Medicine, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA.
Mary C Playdon: Cancer Control and Population Sciences, Huntsman Cancer Institute, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Anna E Arthur: Department of Dietetics and Nutrition, Medical Center, University of Kansas, Kansas City, KS, USA.
Christian AMaino Vieytes: Division of Nutritional Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA.
Zonggui Li: Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Boston College, Newtown, MA, USA.
Martine Extermann: Department of Senior Adult Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA.
Richard Kim: Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA.
Donna L Berry: Department of Biobehavioral Nursing and Health Informatics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Heather S L Jim: Department of Health Outcomes and Behavior, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA.
PURPOSE: No evidence-based prevention strategies currently exist for cancer-related cognitive decline (CRCD). Although patients are often advised to engage in healthy lifestyle activities (e.g., nutritious diet), little is known about the impact of diet on preventing CRCD. This secondary analysis evaluated the association of pre-treatment diet quality indices on change in self-reported cognition during chemotherapy. METHODS: Study participants (n = 96) completed the Block Brief Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) before receiving their first infusion and the PROMIS cognitive function and cognitive abilities questionnaires before infusion and again 5 days later (i.e., when symptoms were expected to be their worst). Diet quality indices included the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), Alternate Mediterranean Diet (aMED), and a low carbohydrate diet index and their components. Descriptive statistics were generated for demographic and clinical variables and diet indices. Residualized change models were computed to examine whether diet was associated with change in cognitive function and cognitive abilities, controlling for age, sex, cancer type, treatment type, depression, and fatigue. RESULTS: Study participants had a mean age of 59 ± 10.8 years and 69% were female. Although total diet index scores did not predict change in cognitive function or cognitive abilities, higher pre-treatment ratio of aMED monounsaturated/saturated fat was associated with less decline in cognitive function and cognitive abilities at 5-day post-infusion (P ≤ .001). CONCLUSIONS: Higher pre-treatment ratio of monounsaturated/saturated fat intake was associated with less CRCD early in chemotherapy. Results suggest greater monounsaturated fat and less saturated fat intake could be protective against CRCD during chemotherapy.
