Breast cancer chemotherapy may increase the risk of metabolic syndrome

Breast cancer chemotherapy may increase the risk of metabolic syndrome

Breast cancer chemotherapy may increase the risk of metabolic syndrome. Chemotherapy is one of the common therapies to treat cancer, but its side effects are also very obvious.

Metabolic syndrome is a collection of five symptoms:

• hypertension
• Raised fasting blood sugar
• Large waist
• High triglyceride levels
• Low HDL cholesterol levels

That happened at the same time. A person must have three of the above symptoms to be diagnosed with metabolic syndrome.

Suffering from metabolic syndrome increases the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

One study strongly recommends that women who receive chemotherapy for 12 to 18 weeks before or after surgery to eliminate early breast cancer have a higher risk of metabolic syndrome.

The doctor called for treatment before neoadjuvant surgery. The treatment given after surgery is called adjuvant therapy.

The study included 86 women who were diagnosed with stage I to III breast cancer but not diagnosed with metabolic syndrome:

• 46 women before menopause
• 40 postmenopausal women
• 89% were diagnosed with stage I or stage II breast cancer
• 21% of patients received chemotherapy before surgery
• 44% of women are white, 30% are Hispanic, 8% are black, and 7% are Asian
• 49% have never smoked

These women received several different chemotherapy regimens:

• 42% of women received doxorubicin (chemical name: doxorubicin) and Cytoxan (chemical name: cyclophosphamide) plus paclitaxel (chemical name: paclitaxel)
• 36% were treated with Taxotere (chemical name: docetaxel) and cyclophosphamide
• 9% were treated with carboplatin plus paclitaxel
• 7% treated with adriamycin and cyclophosphamide
• 6% were treated with docetaxel, cyclophosphamide and Herceptin (chemical name: trastuzumab)

One week before the women started chemotherapy and one week after chemotherapy ended, the researchers assessed women’s five symptoms of metabolic syndrome and measured other factors such as body weight, body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage and lean body mass.

After chemotherapy, 72.5% of women were diagnosed with metabolic syndrome. After the chemotherapy was completed, each of the five symptoms of metabolic syndrome was found to be more severe. These differences are statistically significant, which means that they may be due to chemotherapy rather than just by chance. There was no difference in changes in metabolic syndrome symptoms between premenopausal and postmenopausal women.

After chemotherapy, the symptoms of metabolic syndrome changed to:

• The average waist measurement increased from 34.1 inches to 35.7 inches
• The average systolic blood pressure increased from 122 to 128
• Increased mean diastolic blood pressure from 83 to 90
• The average fasting blood glucose increased from 97.2 mg/dL to 117.0 mg/dL
• The average triglyceride increased from 108.7 to 128.7
• Average HDL cholesterol decreased from 57.9 to 50.6

The systolic blood pressure is the highest number in a blood pressure reading, and the arterial pressure is measured when the heart contracts. Diastolic blood pressure is the lowest number in a blood pressure reading and is used to measure the pressure in the arteries when the heart is resting.

Before chemotherapy, most female patients had only one symptom of metabolic syndrome. After chemotherapy, most women suffer from four symptoms of metabolic syndrome.

After chemotherapy, women also have unhealthy changes in other body measurements:

• Increased average weight from 152.5 pounds to 164.6 pounds
• The average BMI increased from 25.9 to 29.0 (BMI of 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight)
• The average body fat percentage increased from 33.1% to 36.0%
• The average total cholesterol increased from 185.5 to 201.9
• The average fasting insulin level increased from 18.9 mlU/mL to 32.6 mlU/mL
• The average blood C-reactive protein level, a sign of inflammation, increased from 0.37 mg/L to 0.49 mg/L

Dr. Marisa Weiss said: “It strongly suggests that chemotherapy and all the drugs that follow, including steroids, increase the risk of metabolic syndrome and weight gain. Steroids can be given in high doses with paclitaxel to minimize Any reaction to the drug and is known to increase appetite and alter metabolism.

“For women undergoing chemotherapy, the best advice is to eat well and exercise regularly to reduce weight gain and changes in metabolism during chemotherapy,” she continued.

It is recommended that you eat a variety of nutritious foods, including:

• Various vegetables: dark green, red and orange, beans and peas, starch, etc.
• Fruits, especially whole fruits
• Cereals, at least half of which are whole grains
• Fat-free or low-fat dairy products
• A variety of protein foods, including seafood, lean meat and poultry, eggs, beans and peas, nuts, seeds and soy products

Studies have shown that it is best for women receiving chemotherapy to be as active as possible, even low-intensity exercises, such as gentle stretching and walking, are better than inactive.

If you are undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer, try exercising and eating healthy in your daily life. Think about eating well. Exercise is the two more important part of the overall treatment plan and can help you recover.

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