The Effects of Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Vitamin D Supplementation on the Nutritional Status of Women with Breast Cancer in Palestine: An Open-Label Randomized Controlled Trial

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#humans #female #breast-neoplasms #nutritional-status #fatty-acids-omega-3

The Effects of Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Vitamin D Supplementation on the Nutritional Status of Women with Breast Cancer in Palestine: An Open-Label Randomized Controlled Trial

Almassri et al., 2024 | Nutrients | Rct

Citation

Almassri Heba F, Abdul Kadir Azidah, ... Foo Leng Huat. The Effects of Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Vitamin D Supplementation on the Nutritional Status of Women with Breast Cancer in Palestine: An Open-Label Randomized Controlled Trial. Nutrients. 2024-Nov-20;16(22). doi:10.3390/nu16223960

Abstract

BACKGROUND: This study emphasizes the critical role of early nutritional interventions in addressing cancer-related malnutrition. It aimed to assess the effects of omega-3 fatty acids (ω3) and vitamin D3 (VitD) supplementation on the nutritional status of newly diagnosed women with breast cancer (BC) in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. METHOD: A total of 88 newly diagnosed women with BC were randomly assigned into four groups: (i) Omega-3 fatty acid (ω3) group; (ii) Vitamin D (VitD) group; (iii) ω3+VitD group; and (iv) the controls. The patients took two daily 300 mg ω3 capsules and/or one weekly 50,000 IU VitD tablet for nine weeks. Nutritional status of the participants was assessed by several measurement tools, namely, the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA)-derived scores, anthropometric measurements, blood albumin status and dietary intakes between the baseline and after 9 weeks post-intervention. The procedures of the present study were registered on ClinicalTrial.gov with the identifier NCT05331807. RESULTS: At the end of trial, there was a significant increase in the PG-SGA-derived nutritional risk scores (p < 0.01), body weight and body mass index (BMI) (both p < 0.05) among participants in ω3+VitD group compared to other groups. Additionally, there was a significant rise in blood albumin levels (p < 0.05), daily energy and protein intake in the ω3+VitD group (p < 0.05) compared to baseline. CONCLUSION: Participants with supplementation of daily ω3 and weekly VitD had improved nutritional status, assessed by the PG-SGA scores and anthropometric measures, blood albumin and dietary energy and protein intake among women with BC who were undergoing active treatment.

Key Findings

At the end of trial, there was a significant increase in the PG-SGA-derived nutritional risk scores (p < 0.01), body weight and body mass index (BMI) (both p < 0.05) among participants in ω3+VitD group compared to other groups. Additionally, there was a significant rise in blood albumin levels (p < 0.05), daily energy and protein intake in the ω3+VitD group (p < 0.05) compared to baseline.

Outcomes Measured

  • Requires manual extraction

Population

Field Value
Population See abstract
Sample Size See abstract
Age Range See abstract
Condition See abstract

MeSH Terms

  • Humans
  • Female
  • Breast Neoplasms
  • Nutritional Status
  • Fatty Acids, Omega-3
  • Dietary Supplements
  • Middle Aged
  • Adult
  • Vitamin D
  • Middle East
  • Arabs

Evidence Classification

  • Level: Rct
  • Publication Types: Journal Article, Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Vertical: vitamin-d-cancer

Provenance

Source extracted via PubMed E-utilities API on 2026-04-09