Exploratory outcomes of the DHA WIN randomized controlled trial: Supplementing women with docosahexaenoic acid did not reduce the impact of neoadjuvant breast cancer chemotherapy on quality of life or exercise behaviour
Abstract
Supplementation of omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids has been associated with reduced side effects and improved quality of life (QoL) in breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. The current study reports secondary outcomes from the DHA WIN randomized controlled trial which was designed to evaluate docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplementation (4.4 g/day) in conjunction with six cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) (3 weeks/cycle) in women with non-metastatic breast cancer (n = 49). The objective of the current study was to assess the effects of DHA supplementation on QoL and exercise behaviour in women undergoing NAC for breast cancer. Self-administered questionnaires were used to measure QoL and exercise behaviour before starting chemotherapy (baseline), before each chemotherapy cycle (exercise), and after completing chemotherapy. DHA supplementation did not significantly affect QoL, aerobic exercise volume or resistance training frequency during treatment. However, mean aerobic exercise volume was significantly lower at week 12 (-53.5 minutes/week; 95% CI, -100.5 to -6.3; p = 0.02) and week 18 (-70.8 minutes/week; 95% CI, -123.0 to -18.6; p = 0.01) compared to baseline. Mean resistance training frequency was lower at week 12 (-0.57 times/week; 95% CI, -1.0 to -0.13; p = 0.02) compared to baseline. Meeting exercise guidelines during chemotherapy was not associated with better QoL. In the current exploratory study, QoL and exercise decreased during treatment…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a randomized trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 2 of 5 (High · randomized trial). Randomized trials of a reasonable size are the strongest single-study design. Reported size: 49 participants or records.
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