Conclusions : The available literature suggests that African American breast cancer survivors adhere to interventions of various modalities and are capable of making modest to significant changes .
Background : African American breast cancer survivors have a higher incidence of estrogen receptor negative and basal-like ( e.g. , triple negative ) tumors , placing them at greater risk for poorer survival when compared to women of other racial and ethnic groups .
While access to equitable care , late disease stage at diagnosis , tumor biology , and sociodemographic characteristics contribute to health disparities , poor lifestyle characteristics ( i.e. , inactivity , obesity , and poor diet ) contribute equally to these disparities .
Lifestyle interventions hold promise in shielding African American survivors from second cancers , comorbidities , and premature mortality , but they are often underrepresented in studies promoting positive behaviors .
This review examined the available literature to document health behaviors and lifestyle intervention ( i.e. , obesity , physical activity , and sedentary behavior ) studies in African American breast cancer survivors .
Exercise and dietary advice intervention for survivors of triple-negative breast cancer: effects on body fat, physical function, quality of life, and adipokine profile
Purpose Regular exercise and healthy eating are routinely recommended for breast cancer survivors , and past studies show benefits in quality of life and decreased inflammation . However , this has not been tested specifically in triple-negative breast cancer survivors . Increasing physical activity and losing body fat are thought to positively affect inflammatory biomarkers that have been associated with breast cancer . Therefore , the primary purpose of this study was to determine if participation in an exercise and dietary counseling program can improve body fat , physical function , and quality of life in survivors of this aggressive breast cancer . Secondarily , we sought to determine if participation in the program had beneficial effects on obesity-related markers of the adipokine profile . Methods Sixty-six survivors of triple-negative breast cancer with BMI > 25 were invited to participate . Twenty-eight enrolled and 23 completed the r and omized , controlled trial ( 13 intervention , 10 control ) . Moderate-intensity aerobic exercise ( 150 min per week , for 12 weeks ) and diet counseling were compared to usual care , education only . The primary outcome of interest was weight loss ( body mass , BMI , % fat ) , and secondary outcomes included physical function ( exercise capacity ) , quality of life ( Function After Cancer Therapy — Breast ( FACT-B ) ) , cytokines ( C-reactive protein ( CRP ) , TNF-α , IL-6 ) , and adipokine profile ( leptin , adiponectin , insulin ) . Results Participants in the program  lost more body fat ( 2.4 % loss vs. 0.4 % gain , p < 0.05 ) than the control group . The intervention group also improved quality of life ( FACT-B total score + 14 pts ) and decreased sedentary time but did not improve peak exercise capacity . The intervention had no effect on serum cytokines and adipokines after 12 weeks in the program . However , serum leptin and adiponectin and their ratio were significantly correlated with BMI in the intervention group ( p < 0.05 ) . Conclusions Exercise and dietary counseling led to loss of body fat and improved quality of life in survivors of triple-negative breast cancer . BMI was associated with favorable changes in leptin and adiponectin which may reflect a change in adiposity with intervention . Exercise and healthy eating may be equally effective in this high-risk population as in other breast cancer survivors and should be encouraged as a part of a cancer survivorship program
Conclusions : The available literature suggests that African American breast cancer survivors adhere to interventions of various modalities and are capable of making modest to significant changes .
Background : African American breast cancer survivors have a higher incidence of estrogen receptor negative and basal-like ( e.g. , triple negative ) tumors , placing them at greater risk for poorer survival when compared to women of other racial and ethnic groups .
While access to equitable care , late disease stage at diagnosis , tumor biology , and sociodemographic characteristics contribute to health disparities , poor lifestyle characteristics ( i.e. , inactivity , obesity , and poor diet ) contribute equally to these disparities .
Lifestyle interventions hold promise in shielding African American survivors from second cancers , comorbidities , and premature mortality , but they are often underrepresented in studies promoting positive behaviors .
This review examined the available literature to document health behaviors and lifestyle intervention ( i.e. , obesity , physical activity , and sedentary behavior ) studies in African American breast cancer survivors .