Time-restricted eating may lower CVD risk for older breast cancer survivors

Older breast cancer survivors with cardiometabolic risk factors who restricted food intake to eight hours during the weekday, followed by 16 hours of fasting, lowered their risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) after a few weeks, according to a new research letter publishing today in JACC: CardioOncology. The study is a part of the upcoming mini-focus issue, “Physical Activity and Lifestyle Interventions in Cancer.”

The authors looked at 22 individuals with a body mass index who were classified as overweight or obese (>25kg/m²), had completed cardiotoxic treatment (anthracyclines, a commonly used chemotherapy drug) within the past one to six years, and were an average age of 66 years. For eight weeks participants were allowed to eat freely between 12-8 p.m. on weekdays and at any time on the weekends. Outside of those hours, participants were asked to consume only water, black coffee or black tea. Using the Canadian Cardiovascular Society scoring system to calculate the 10-year Framingham Risk Score, the authors found that CVD risk decreased from 10.9% to 8.6% at the end of the trial period.

“This rigorously designed, well-executed single-arm feasibility study generates important hypotheses and questions about the role of time restricted eating relevant to cancer survivors,” said Bonnie Ky, MD, MSCE, editor-in-chief of JACC: CardioOncology. “For example, what is the basis of the inter-individual variation of the response to time restricted eating in the Framingham Risk Score, and will this help identify patients who are most likely to benefit from this strategy? How does diet quality affect these findings? We look forward to seeing research using practical lifestyle interventions continue to evolve and advance to improve the lives of our patients and survivors.”

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The American College of Cardiology envisions a world where innovation and knowledge optimize cardiovascular care and outcomes. As the professional home for the entire cardiovascular care team, the mission of the College and its more than 56,000 members is to transform cardiovascular care and to improve heart health. The ACC bestows credentials upon cardiovascular professionals who meet stringent qualifications and leads in the formation of health policy, standards and guidelines. The College also provides professional medical education, disseminates cardiovascular research through its world-renowned JACC Journals, operates national registries to measure and improve care, and offers cardiovascular accreditation to hospitals and institutions. For more, visit acc.org. 

The ACC’s family of JACC Journals rank among the top cardiovascular journals in the world for scientific impact. The flagship journal, the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) — and family of specialty journals consisting of JACC: Advances, JACC: Asia, JACC: Basic to Translational Science, JACC: CardioOncology, JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging, JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions, JACC: Case Reports, JACC: Clinical Electrophysiology and JACC: Heart Failure — pride themselves on publishing the top peer-reviewed research on all aspects of cardiovascular disease. Learn more at JACC.org.