Plant-Based Diet and IGF-1 Modulation on HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: A Lifestyle Medicine Nutrition Approach in Oncology.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to determine whether a predominantly whole-food, plant-based diet (PWFPBD), with or without intermittent fasting, could modulate plasma levels of IGF-1 and improve metabolic markers in a woman with HER2-positive breast cancer.
Results Summary
The study found that a PWFPBD led to a 22.38% decrease in IGF-1, along with significant reductions in glycemia (-55.06%) and total cholesterol (-36.00%). Adding 16-hour overnight fasting resulted in slight increases in these markers (6.25% and 3.87%, respectively).
Population
A 47-year-old woman with HER2-positive breast cancer, elevated blood glucose, and high cholesterol.
Effective Dosage
Not specified (whole-food, plant-based diet with or without 16-hour overnight fasting).
Duration
1035 days of PWFPBD followed by 232 days of PWFPBD plus fasting.
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
transition from a Western pattern diet (WPD) to a predominantly whole-food, plant-based diet (PWFPBD) | decrease | IGF-1 | a 47-year-old woman with HER2-positive breast cancer | 22.38% | decreased | #1 |
transition from a Western pattern diet (WPD) to a predominantly whole-food, plant-based diet (PWFPBD) | decrease | glycemia | a 47-year-old woman with HER2-positive breast cancer | -55.06% | decreased | #2 |
transition from a Western pattern diet (WPD) to a predominantly whole-food, plant-based diet (PWFPBD) | decrease | total cholesterol | a 47-year-old woman with HER2-positive breast cancer | -36.00% | decreased | #3 |
PWFPBD plus night fasting for 16 hours per day | increase | glycemia | a 47-year-old woman with HER2-positive breast cancer | 6.25% | went up | #4 |
PWFPBD plus night fasting for 16 hours per day | increase | total cholesterol | a 47-year-old woman with HER2-positive breast cancer | 3.87% | went up | #5 |
A PWFPBD, with or without 16-hour overnight fasting | neutral | plasma levels of IGF-1 | a 47-year-old woman diagnosed with breast cancer, type HER2-positive | - | seems to modulate | #6 |
Breast cancer is the second most common type of cancer in women worldwide, where nutritional intervention should be part of a multidisciplinary lifestyle approach in oncology, promoting therapeutic success. Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), along with estrogen, can promote the development of neoplastic cells in breast tissue. Cancers that develop under IGF-1 stimulation are often resistant to therapy. This case report describes a 47-year-old woman, body mass index 27.4 kg/m2, with HER2-positive breast cancer, as well as elevated blood glucose, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Soon after her breast cancer diagnosis, she transitioned from a Western pattern diet (WPD) to a predominantly whole-food, plant-based diet (PWFPBD) for 1035 days, followed by 232 days of PWFPBD plus night fasting for 16 hours per day. IGF-1 decreased 22.38%, glycemia and total cholesterol decreased by -55.06% and -36.00% at the end of the first intervention and went up by 6.25%, and 3.87%, respectively, at the end of the second intervention. A PWFPBD, with or without 16-hour overnight fasting, seems to modulate plasma levels of IGF-1 on a 47-year-old woman diagnosed with breast cancer, type HER2-positive. Future research, should explore the physiologic and pathophysiological mechanisms and clarify whether this dietary strategy, may be clinically useful in preventing HER2-positive breast cancer.