Standards of adherence to cancer prevention guidelines in female breast cancer survivors

Objective The aim of this study was to assess the main patterns of adherence to the cancer prevention guidelines proposed by the 2018 World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research (WCRF/AICR) by breast cancer survivors. Methods Cross-sectional study that used the Principal Component Factor Analysis to identify the adherence patterns and the highest (Q4) and lowest (Q1) quartiles of each pattern. Results Two main adherence patterns were identified: ‘grains/fruits/fiber’ —adherence to a healthy body mass index (BMI), a diet rich in grains, vegetables, fruits and beans and total fiber—; a second, ‘fast-food/sugar’ —adherence to the BMI, limiting the consumption of fast food, processed foods, sugar and starch and the consumption of sugary drinks—. The ‘fast-food/sugar’ pattern has the greatest influence on BMI (0.4672). Lower weight (p=0.005; p=0.001) and BMI (p=0.001; p<0.001) are observed in women at the Q4 of the two patterns, respectively. Conclusions Breast cancer survivors have a pattern of adherence to the guidelines characterized by greater consumption of grains, vegetables, fruits, beans, and fiber; and another characterized by a limited consumption of processed foods and sugary drinks, with a greater impact on BMI.