Effects of a combined exercise plus diet program on cardiorespiratory fitness of breast cancer patients

Abstract

Background: Decreases in cardiorespiratory fitness among breast cancer patients have often been reported in previous studies, affecting patients’ health and survival. Peak oxygen uptake (V˙ O 2peak) is the gold standard for assessing cardiorespiratory fitness and is inversely correlated with cardiovascular disease among women with breast cancer. Some previous studies have reported that aerobic exercise and proper diet positively influence V˙ O 2peak. However, almost all studies have been conducted in the Western countries, and few studies are investigating on Asian women who have lower BMI compared with Western ones. Purpose: Investigating the effects of a combined exercise and diet program among Japanese cancer patients undergoing therapy on V˙ O 2peak. Methods: Thirty-two Japanese women with breast cancer undergoing endocrine therapy (age; 50 ± 6 years, body weight; 59 ± 10 kg) were voluntarily assigned to either intervention group (n = 21) or control group (n = 11). The intervention group completed a 12-week combined exercise plus diet program, consisting of weekly aerobic exercise and maintaining a nutritionally well-balanced 1200 kcal/day diet. The control group was instructed to continue with their usual activities. Anthropometric indices and V˙ O 2peak were measured at baseline and after the 12-week program. Results: All 21 women completed the 12-week program. The V˙ O 2peak significantly increased from 26.7 to 30.4 mL/kg/min (1.57–1.62 L/min) in the intervention group, while it remained unchanged (26.9–26.9 mL/kg/min) in the control group. Mean reduction of body mass index was − 2.1 in the intervention group (P