Life after cancer can bring new health concerns, including an increased risk of heart disease. In fact, heart disease is the leading cause of death unrelated to cancer among survivors.
New research suggests that healthy eating may help support heart health after a cancer diagnosis. And the findings offer some flexibility: Several different eating patterns were linked to better outcomes, rather than just one particular diet.
Published in JACC: Advances, the study examined 8,716 cancer survivors in the United Kingdom who had no history of cardiovascular disease when the research began. Researchers looked at what participants ate and followed their health for about 12 years.
During that time, 1,116 participants developed cardiovascular disease, including coronary heart disease, heart failure or stroke.
The researchers compared eight eating patterns, including the Mediterranean, DASH and MIND diets, along with approaches emphasizing plant-based foods, lower fat intake or fewer carbohydrates.
Seven of the eight were associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease among participants whose eating habits most closely matched those patterns.
Two stood out. People with the highest scores on the Alternate Healthy Eating Index, which favors foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains and healthy fats, had a 37% lower risk of cardiovascular disease than those with the lowest scores.
Those who most closely followed the DASH diet, an eating plan developed to help manage blood pressure, had a 35% lower risk.
The Mediterranean diet and several others were also associated with better heart health. The healthy low-carbohydrate eating pattern was the only one that didn't show a statistically significant association with lower cardiovascular disease risk.
That doesn't mean low-carb diets are unhealthy. It simply means researchers didn't find the same connection in this study.
While the eating patterns differed, many emphasized familiar foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans. They also generally encouraged limiting foods high in added sugar or less healthy fats.
Researchers also looked at how long participants lived. Depending on the eating pattern, those with the healthiest diets had an estimated life expectancy about 1.7 to 3.3 years longer than those with the lowest diet scores. However, these were statistical estimates, not proof that changing diets would add years to someone's life.
There are also important limitations. Participants reported what they ate through questionnaires, and researchers couldn't track changes in their diets over the following years. People who ate healthier diets also tended to exercise more, smoke less and have other healthy habits.
Although the researchers accounted for many of those differences, the study cannot prove that diet itself prevented heart disease.
And while the findings are encouraging, nutritional needs can vary considerably after cancer. Someone experiencing ongoing treatment effects, unintended weight loss or difficulty eating may need a more personalized approach.
Still, the research offers a useful perspective on staying healthy after cancer. Rather than suggesting there's one perfect diet, the findings point to several familiar ways of eating that may support long-term heart health, leaving room for individual preferences and nutritional needs.
Funding for the study came from the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Guangzhou Science and Technology Plan Project.