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Background and Aim: Breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) is a treatment-related inflammatory complication in breast cancer survivors (BCSs). This study was aimed to evaluate the effect of synbiotic supplementation on serum concentrations of IL-10, TGF-β, VEGF, adiponectin, and edema volume among overweight or obese BCSs with lymphedema following a low-calorie diet (LCD)., Method: In a randomized double-blind, controlled clinical trial, 88 obese and overweight BCSs women were randomized to synbiotic supplement ( n  = 44) or placebo ( n  = 44) groups and both groups followed an LCD for 10 weeks. Pre- and post-intervention comparisons were made regarding the anti-inflammatory markers which included IL-10, TGF-β, VEGF, adiponectin, edema volume, and anthropometric measurements. Also, the same factors were analyzed to find inter-group disparities., Results: There were no significant differences among participants in the baseline, except for IL-10 and adiponectin. Post-intervention, no significant differences were observed regarding the anti-inflammatory markers, including IL-10, VEGF, adiponectin, and TGF-β between the groups. After 10 weeks of intervention edema volume significantly decreased in the synbiotic group; additionally, anthropometric measurements (body weight, BMI, body fat percent, and WC) decreased in both groups significantly ( P  < 0.001 and P  < 0.005; respectively)., Conclusion: Synbiotic supplementation coupled with an LCD in a 10-week intervention had beneficial effects on increasing the serum TGF-β, IL-10, and adiponectin levels in women with BCRL. It also reduced arm lymphedema volume. Therefore, synbiotic supplementation can be effective in improving health status in BCRL patients.

Background and Aims: Synbiotics found to be beneficial in breast cancer survivors (BCSs) through its antioxidant properties. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of synbiotic supplementation on edema volume and some oxidative markers among obese and overweight patients with BCRL. Method: This randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted on 88 overweight and obese BCSs aged 18-65 years. All the subjects were given a specified low-calorie diet (LCD) and were randomly assigned into two groups to intake 10 9 CFU/day synbiotic supplement ( n  = 44) or placebo ( n  = 44) for 10 wk. Edema volume and serum total antioxidant capacity (TAC), malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) concentration were measured at baseline and after the 10-wk intervention. Results: Ten-wk supplementation with synbiotics leads to a significant reduction in serum MDA levels ( P  = 0.001) and an increase in serum SOD concentration ( P  = 0.007) compared to placebo. No significant changes were observed in serum GPx, TAC, and edema volume between groups. Conclusion: Our findings reveal that 10-wk synbiotic supplementation along with a LCD program-reduced serum MDA levels and elevate the activity of SOD in overweight and obese patients with BCRL. However, its effect on serum GPx, TAC, and edema volume was not significant.

Diet plays a measurable role in breast cancer (BC) prevention. The aims of this study were to assess nutrition-related BC prevention Knowledge, attitudes and practice (KAP) of female university students and to examine the relationship between demographic characteristics of students and their KAP. We conducted a cross-sectional study among 500 female students from Iran University of Medical Science (IUMS). A pretested self-administered questionnaires were used to assess the participants' nutrition-related BC prevention KAP. A total of 500 students completed the survey. Students' knowledge with the mean score of 16.97, significantly varied by age (P= 0.03), the field of study (P= 0.001) and family history of BC (P= 0.01). The mean score of attitudes and practice toward nutrition-related BC prevention factors were 24.86 and 39.39, respectively. A significant relationship was observed between nutrition knowledge and attitude (r = 0.27, P < 0.001). Also, Nutrition-related attitudes were positively correlated with the BC prevention dietary practices (r = 0.23, P < 0.001). Nutrition KAP about BC prevention factors was found to be influenced by individual factors such as age, field of study, familial history of BC, job and residency status. Together, our findings confirm that increasing nutrition knowledge is not sufficient for dietary behavior change, but is necessary.