Functional medicine in cancer survivors with obesity

Obesity in cancer survivors has a complex problem and is influenced by many psychological, social, and biological factors. Management of these factors is important to prevent recurrent cancer, secondary cancer, and other cardiovascular disease complications while improving cancer survivors’ quality of life, such as fatigue and pain. Factors of functional medicine in obesity in cancer survivors include excessive fat accumulation, low-grade chronic inflammation, excessive estrogen in estrogen-related cancer, intestinal dysbiosis and changes in the intestinal environment, changes in cellular energy metabolism and antioxidant capacity, vital hormones, autonomic nervous system, and immune system imbalance, etc. We need to change the fundamental living environment and implement individual nutritional treatment with functional medicine approach for each patient, rather than simply satisfying the goal of weight loss for obesity in cancer survivors. In this review, the management of obese cancer survivors was discussed from four perspectives (inflammation by adipose tissue and related hormones, influence of gut microbiome, cell metabolism, antioxidant system, and immune function) based on the 7-core imbalance theories of functional medicine.