The effects of virgin coconut oil (VCO) as supplementation on quality of life (QOL) among breast cancer patients

Lipids in Health and Disease

Research

Narazah Mohd Yusoff¹  Muhammad Yusri Musa¹  Kim Sooi Law¹  Nizuwan Azman¹  Eshaifol Azam Omar¹  Siti Amrah Sulaiman²  Nik Hazlina Nik Hussain² 

[1] Institut Perubatan dan Pergigian Termaju, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Bertam, 13200, Kepala Batas, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia;School of Medical Science, Health Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia;

关键词: Virgin coconut oil (VCO);    Quality of life (QOL);    Breast cancer patient;    Chemotherapy;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1476-511X-13-139

 received in 2014-04-08, accepted in 2014-08-23,  发布年份 2014

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundBreast cancer is the most common cancer amongst Malaysian women. Both the disease and its treatment can disrupt the lives of the woman and adversely affect all aspects of life and thus can alter a woman’s quality of life. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of virgin coconut oil (VCO) on the quality of life (QOL) of patients diagnosed with breast cancer.MethodsThis was a prospective study of breast cancer patients admitted into the Oncology Unit of Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia. The sample consisted of 60 patients with stage III and IV breast cancer allocated to either an intervention group (n = 30) or a control group (n = 30) using a simple random table. QOL was evaluated from the first cycle of chemotherapy to the sixth cycle, and data were collected using a validated Bahasa Malaysia version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Breast Cancer Module (EORTC QLQ-C30) and its breast-specific module (QLQ-BR 23).ResultsThe mean age of breast cancer patients was 50.2 (SD = 13.5) years. There were significant mean score differences for functioning and global QOL between groups (α < 0.01). The intervention group also had better scores for symptoms including fatigue, dyspnea, sleep difficulties, and loss of appetite compared to the control group. Although there are deteriorations for sexual enjoyment, the intervention group exhibited improvement in breast functioning and symptom scores for body image, sexual function, future perspective, breast symptoms, and systemic therapy side effects.ConclusionVCO consumption during chemotherapy helped improve the functional status and global QOL of breast cancer patients. In addition, it reduced the symptoms related to side effects of chemotherapy.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Law et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2014