Adherence to dietary patterns among cancer survivors in the United States

This study investigates the association between a previous history of cancer and adherence to dietary patterns in the United States. This cross-sectional study included 13,751 adults ages 18 and older from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III). We used principal component analysis (PCA) to identify major dietary patterns. We used linear regression models to assess the association between previous cancer history and adherence to dietary patterns. A previous history of cancer was not associated with adherence to the prudent dietary pattern. The western dietary pattern was positively related to a previous history of cancer (b = 0.13, CI 0.05 to 0.20, p = 0.001; badj = 0.23, CI 0.15 to 0.31, p = <0.001); and the traditional dietary pattern was negatively related to a previous history of cancer (b = − 0.58, CI −0.65 to –0.51, p = <0.001; badj = −0.22, CI −0.29 to –0.15, p = <0.001). The alcohol dietary pattern was positively associated with a previous history of cancer only before adjusting for possible confounders (b = 0.13, CI 0.06 to 0.20, p = <0.001; badj = 0.03, CI 0.03 to 0.10, p = <0.365). Our findings suggest that cancer survivors do not follow a healthy dietary pattern and need guidance to adopt and maintain a healthy diet. The promotion of healthy dietary behaviors may improve the length and the quality of life of this population.