Behaviour-Brain-Body (BBB) Research Centre, UniSA Justice & Society, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia.
UniSA Allied Health & Human Performance, Alliance for Research in Exercise, Nutrition and Activity (ARENA), University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia.
Nutrients. 2021 Dec 24;14(1):71. doi: 10.3390/nu14010071.
Survivors of cancer frequently experience persistent and troublesome cognitive changes. Little is known about the role diet and nutrition plays in survivors' cognition. We explored the feasibility of collecting cross-sectional online data from Australian survivors of breast and colorectal cancer to enable preliminary investigations of the relationships between cognition with fruit and vegetable intake, and the Omega-3 Index (a biomarker of long chain omega 3 fatty acid intake). A total of 76 participants completed online (and postal Omega-3 Index biomarker) data collection (62 breast and 14 colorectal cancer survivors): mean age 57.5 (±10.2) years, mean time since diagnosis 32.6 (±15.6) months. Almost all of the feasibility outcomes were met; however, technical difficulties were reported for online cognitive testing. In hierarchical linear regression models, none of the dietary variables of interest were significant predictors of self-reported or objective cognition. Age, BMI, and length of treatment predicted some of the cognitive outcomes. We demonstrated a viable online/postal data collection method, with participants reporting positive levels of engagement and satisfaction. Fruit, vegetable, and omega-3 intake were not significant predictors of cognition in this sample, however the role of BMI in survivors' cognitive functioning should be further investigated. Future research could adapt this protocol to longitudinally monitor diet and cognition to assess the impact of diet on subsequent cognitive function, and whether cognitive changes impact dietary habits in survivors of cancer.
癌症幸存者经常经历持续且麻烦的认知变化。对于饮食和营养在幸存者认知中的作用知之甚少。我们探索了从澳大利亚乳腺癌和结直肠癌幸存者中收集横断面在线数据的可行性，以便初步研究认知与水果和蔬菜摄入量以及欧米伽 3 指数（长链欧米伽 3 脂肪酸摄入量的生物标志物）之间的关系。共有 76 名参与者完成了在线（和邮寄欧米伽 3 指数生物标志物）数据收集（62 名乳腺癌和 14 名结直肠癌幸存者）：平均年龄 57.5（±10.2）岁，平均诊断后时间 32.6（±15.6）个月。几乎所有的可行性结果都得到了满足；然而，在线认知测试报告了技术困难。在分层线性回归模型中，没有一个感兴趣的饮食变量是自我报告或客观认知的显著预测因子。年龄、BMI 和治疗时间预测了一些认知结果。我们展示了一种可行的在线/邮寄数据收集方法，参与者报告了积极的参与度和满意度。在这个样本中，水果、蔬菜和欧米伽 3 摄入量不是认知的显著预测因子，但是 BMI 在幸存者认知功能中的作用应该进一步研究。未来的研究可以调整该方案来纵向监测饮食和认知，以评估饮食对随后认知功能的影响，以及认知变化是否会影响癌症幸存者的饮食习惯。
