TDNet Discover

Background: Intermittent fasting (IF) has emerged as a promising, low-burden approach to support cellular repair and improve breast cancer (BC) treatment outcomes. In BC, the most common non-cutaneous cancer among American women, IF may enhance tumor response, treatment tolerance, and quality of life (QoL) when combined with standard therapies. Given the high prevalence of BC and its role as the second leading cause of cancer death in women, further research into adjunctive strategies like IF is needed. Objective: The objective of this systematic review is to assess IF regimens and whether they improve clinical outcomes, such as tumor response, treatment tolerance, QoL, and metabolic markers in non-metastatic BC patients. Methods: PubMed and MEDLINE Complete were used to conduct research. Study inclusion criteria were (1) IF, (2) BC, (3) female, (4) randomized control trial (RCT), (5) human, and (6) adults >18 years old and <75 years old. Study exclusion criteria were (1) metastatic BC, (2) studies that did not use IF methods, (3) studies with power <80%, (4) sample sizes less than 30 (n<30), (4) poor quality per the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) assessment. Studies were restricted to the English language, must have been published within the last 10 years, and must have been peer-reviewed. Results: This systematic review provides a high-quality synthesis to evaluate the efficacy of IF in the treatment of non-metastatic BC. Conclusion: The results of our systematic review suggest that there is no clear answer to whether implementing IF regimens improve clinical outcomes.