The effects of Omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D supplementation on the quality of life and blood inflammation markers in newly diagnosed breast cancer women: An open-labelled randomised controlled trial

Abstract

Background and aims: Nutritional intervention is one of the primary steps to improvement of health status and quality of life (QoL) in patients with cancer treated by chemotherapy. There is limited evidence on the potential nutritional intervention to complement active oncological treatment strategies in breast cancer (BC) patients in developing countries. The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of omega-3 fatty acids (ω3) and vitamin D₃ (VitD) supplementations on the QoL and blood inflammation markers of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) assessed among women newly diagnosed with BC in the Gaza Strip, Palestine.

Methods: A total of 88 BC women were randomly assigned into one of four groups: i) omega-3 fatty acid (ω3) group; ii) vitamin D (VitD) group; iii) ω3+VitD group, and iv) the control. Participants were received either two 300 mg ω3 capsules daily, or one 50,000IU VitD tablet weekly, or both supplementation for 9-weeks. The QoL status was assessed by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) instruments of QLQ-C30 and QLQ-BR23 tools, while blood inflammatory markers of TNF-α hsCRP were used. All measurements were taken from baseline to the end of the intervention period. The detailed procedures of the present study were registered on ClinicalTrial.gov with the identifier NCT05331807.

Results: At the end of the trial, participants in the ω3+VitD group showed a significant increase in overall global health status (p < 0.01) compared to other groups. Additionally, this group showed significantly higher functional scores (all p < 0.05) and lower scores for fatigue (p < 0.01), nausea and vomiting, pain, and appetite loss (all p < 0.05) at the end of the trial compared to baseline. Furthermore, comparisons between the intervention groups revealed a significant difference in blood concentrations of TNF-α and hsCRP (p < 0.05). These significant differences were identified in hsCRP between ω3 and control groups (p < 0.01). The ω3+VitD group demonstrated a significant reduction in both hsCRP and TNF-α levels (both p < 0.05) from baseline. No significant changes in blood inflammatory markers were observed within the ω3 or VitD groups alone.

Conclusion: Participants receiving daily ω3 and weekly VitD supplementation for 9 weeks showed a significant improved in QoL and blood inflammation markers among the newly diagnosed BC during their chemotherapy treatment.

Keywords: 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D); Blood inflammatory markers; Breast cancer; Omega-3 fatty acid; Quality of life.