Effects of Diet and Exercise Lifestyle Interventions on Physical and Psychological Health in Breast Cancer Survivors: A Systematic Review
Abstract
Breast cancer survivors frequently experience adverse changes in body composition, cardiometabolic biomarkers, functional capacity and quality of life that may worsen long-term prognosis, yet the comparative effectiveness of lifestyle interventions across delivery formats and supervision levels remains unclear. Background/Objectives: This systematic review assessed the effects of structured diet and exercise interventions on body composition, metabolic and inflammatory biomarkers, functional capacity, dietary habits and quality of life in breast cancer survivors. Methods: Following PRISMA guidelines, Cochrane, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science were searched for randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies published in English between 2016 and 2026. Risk of bias was assessed with RoB 2 and ROBINS-I and certainty of evidence with GRADE. Results: Of 1413 records, 15 studies (11 RCTs; mean age 46-60 years; mostly overweight or obese post-treatment women) met the inclusion criteria; twelve interventions were supervised and three home-based or web-based. Within the assessed domains, many studies reported significant improvements in body composition, quality of life and metabolic or inflammatory biomarkers. Effects were larger in multimodal supervised programs combining caloric restriction with moderate-to-vigorous aerobic plus resistance training (5-8% weight loss; 19-29% visceral fat reduction; improved insulin, IGF-1, leptin, adiponectin and EORTC QLQ-C30 scores),…
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