The Effect of Nutrition Therapy and Exercise on Cancer-Related Fatigue and Quality of Life in Men with Prostate Cancer: A Systematic Review.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to determine the effects of resistance training, alone or combined with aerobic exercise, on cancer-related fatigue and quality of life in prostate cancer patients.
Results Summary
Resistance training, especially when supervised, improved cancer-related fatigue and quality of life more effectively than aerobic exercise alone. Combined resistance and aerobic training also showed benefits, though dietary interventions had mixed results.
Population
Prostate cancer patients
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Soy supplementation | increase | quality of life | - | - | improved | #1 |
Prescribing healthy eating guidelines with combined resistance training and aerobic exercise | increase | cancer-related fatigue | - | - | improved | #2 |
Prescribing healthy eating guidelines with combined resistance training and aerobic exercise | no change | quality of life | - | - | effect was inconclusive | #3 |
Combined resistance training with aerobic exercise | increase | cancer-related fatigue | - | - | showed improvements in | #4 |
Combined resistance training with aerobic exercise | increase | quality of life | - | - | showed improvements in | #5 |
Resistance training | increase | cancer-related fatigue | - | - | appears to be more effective in improving | #6 |
Resistance training | increase | quality of life | - | - | appears to be more effective in improving | #7 |
Aerobic exercise | increase | cancer-related fatigue | - | - | appears to be less effective than resistance training for | #8 |
Aerobic exercise | increase | quality of life | - | - | appears to be less effective than resistance training for | #9 |
Exercise supervised by an exercise professional | increase | cancer-related fatigue | - | - | were more likely to report improvements in | #10 |
Exercise supervised by an exercise professional | increase | quality of life | - | - | were more likely to report improvements in | #11 |
Unsupervised or partially supervised exercise sessions | increase | cancer-related fatigue | - | - | were less likely to report improvements in | #12 |
Unsupervised or partially supervised exercise sessions | increase | quality of life | - | - | were less likely to report improvements in | #13 |
Exercise frequency | no change | cancer-related fatigue | - | - | neither appeared to influence | #14 |
Exercise frequency | no change | quality of life | - | - | neither appeared to influence | #15 |
Exercise duration | no change | cancer-related fatigue | - | - | neither appeared to influence | #16 |
Exercise duration | no change | quality of life | - | - | neither appeared to influence | #17 |
Supervised moderate-hard resistance training with or without moderate-vigorous aerobic exercise | increase | cancer-related fatigue | - | - | appears to improve | #18 |
Supervised moderate-hard resistance training with or without moderate-vigorous aerobic exercise | increase | quality of life | - | - | appears to improve | #19 |
Dietary intervention | increase | cancer-related fatigue | - | - | may alleviate | #20 |
Dietary intervention | increase | quality of life | - | - | may improve | #21 |
BACKGROUND: Improvements in diet and/or exercise are often advocated during prostate cancer treatment, yet the efficacy of, and optimal nutrition and exercise prescription for managing cancer-related fatigue and quality of life remains elusive. The aim of this study is to systematically review the effects of nutrition and/or exercise on cancer-related fatigue and/or quality of life. METHODS: A literature search was conducted in six electronic databases. The Delphi quality assessment list was used to evaluate the methodological quality of the literature. The study characteristics and results were summarized in accordance with the review's Population, Intervention, Control, Outcome (PICO) criteria. RESULTS: A total of 20 articles (one diet only, two combined diet and exercise, and seventeen exercise only studies) were included in the review. Soy supplementation improved quality of life, but resulted in several adverse effects. Prescribing healthy eating guidelines with combined resistance training and aerobic exercise improved cancer-related fatigue, yet its effect on quality of life was inconclusive. Combined resistance training with aerobic exercise showed improvements in cancer-related fatigue and quality of life. In isolation, resistance training appears to be more effective in improving cancer-related fatigue and quality of life than aerobic exercise. Studies that utilised an exercise professional to supervise the exercise sessions were more likely to report improvements in both cancer-related fatigue and quality of life than those prescribing unsupervised or partially supervised sessions. Neither exercise frequency nor duration appeared to influence cancer-related fatigue or quality of life, with further research required to explore the potential dose-response effect of exercise intensity. CONCLUSION: Supervised moderate-hard resistance training with or without moderate-vigorous aerobic exercise appears to improve cancer-related fatigue and quality of life. Targeted physiological pathways suggest dietary intervention may alleviate cancer-related fatigue and improve quality of life, however the efficacy of nutrition management with or without exercise prescription requires further exploration.