SUMA

Context

It is well known that cancer survivors have an increased risk of suffering from other chronic diseases, such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, as well as increased risk of recurrence and second malignancies. In an effort to prevent, or at least reduce, the severity of many of these diseases, a healthy and balanced diet is currently promoted by numerous cancer organizations to ensure optimal health status.

However, as only a few studies in this field have examined the relationship between nutritional status and the onset of other health problems after cancer survivorship, the data is scarce and inconsistent. Furthermore, since many of these recommendations are based mainly on observational studies, there is a clear necessity for randomized studies with dietary interventions in relation to mitigating the risks for developing these future health problems.

With the recent advances in omics technologies, which allow the specification of precision feeding, it is now possible to design personalized dietary recommendations aimed at improving one´s health status, as well as measure the impact of nutritional dietary strategies at a precise metabolic level.

Objective

The main objective of this project is to design a personalized nutritional strategy based on molecular tools such as lipidomics and nutrigenetics to improve the nutritional and metabolic status of breast cancer survivors.

Methodology

For this, a clinical nutritional trial will be carried out with 50 breast cancer survivors, to evaluate the benefit of personalized nutritional advice on their metabolic and nutritional status. Nutritional advice will be based on individual metabolic and genetic profiles determined at the beginning of the intervention, as well as from food frequency questionnaires to determine habitual dietary intake. Intestinal microbiota will be measured throughout the intervention to assess the impact of the personalized nutritional advice on gut health. Efficacy of the nutritional advice will be determined by whether individual metabolic profiles can reach an optimal metabolic state.

Expected Results

• Generate new scientifically based knowledge about the benefit of a personalized diet, to improve the nutritional status and quality of life of breast cancer survivors.
• Define a model that integrates information from different biotechnologies (omics) that allows a patient to return a personalized nutritional recommendation based on their molecular characteristics.
• Design a new personalized nutrition program that can be transferred to the market and economically accessible to the cancer survivor population.