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Effect of a Mindful Eating Intervention on Weight Loss in Postmenopausal Breast Cancer Survivors–A Pilot Study
Author(s) -
Washington Annette Monique,
Davis Melissa,
Young Henry Nolan,
Cobran Ewan,
Hartzell Diane,
Dunagan Kelli Amanda,
Sattler Elisabeth Lilian Pia
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.31.1_supplement.797.17
Subject(s) - overweight , breast cancer , medicine , mindfulness , weight management , weight loss , obesity , cancer , intervention (counseling) , physical therapy , weight gain , gerontology , clinical psychology , body weight , psychiatry
Weight gain in postmenopausal breast cancer survivors leads to increased risk of morbidity and mortality. Mindful eating has shown effectiveness as a weight management strategy in overweight and obese individuals. Yet, evidence on the impact of mindful eating as a weight loss strategy in breast cancer survivors is limited. The objective of the study was to examine the effect of a mindful eating intervention on overweight and obesity in overweight and obese postmenopausal breast cancer survivors. Participants were recruited through local physician's offices, cancer support centers, and newspaper advertisements in 2016. Participants completed 8 weekly 2‐hour Mindful Eating Workshop© group sessions, led by a certified mindfulness instructor. The workshop addressed mindless, stress‐related, or emotional related eating, and disordered eating patterns through mindfulness meditation and group discussion. Data were collected at the University of Georgia Clinical and Translational Research Unit at 2 time points: baseline and follow‐up (12 weeks), and included anthropometric measures. Paired t‐tests were used to compare outcomes pre‐ and post‐intervention. Cohen's d was used to estimate the intervention effect. The analytic sample included 10 postmenopausal breast cancer survivors with a BMI of ≥ 25 kg/m 2 who completed the intervention. Mean age was 64.4 ± 6.0 years, 90% were non‐Hispanic white, 50% were married, and 50% had an average annual household income greater than $80,000. At baseline, participants had a mean BMI of 33.7 ± 7.6 kg/m 2 , mean body fat percentage of 45.5 ± 4.4%, mean weight of 89.2 ± 16.8 kg, and mean waist to hip ratio of 0.8 ± 0.04. At follow‐up, there was a mean change in BMI of −0.4 ± 0.21 kg/m 2 (p = 0.0002, d = 0.05) and a mean change in weight of −0.8 ± 0.8 kg (p = 0.015). Body fat percentage and waist‐to‐hip did not change significantly. This study provides preliminary evidence that a mindful eating intervention can lead to statistically significant weight loss in postmenopausal breast cancer survivors. However, more research to replicate and confirm the findings, and determine if weight loss is sustainable. Support or Funding Information The study was funded through the University of Georgia Clinical and Translational Research Unit seed grant.