BARCELONA – A progressive aerobic and resistance exercise intervention improved the android:gynoid fat ratio (AGFR) in breast cancer survivors, which could provide important health benefits.
AGFR is associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes in breast cancer survivors, therefore exercise-induced AGFR improvement may reduce the risk for such comorbid conditions, Christina Dieli-Conwright, PhD, of the University of Southern California Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, and colleagues reported in a poster at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress.
A significant decrease in AGFR from baseline was noted in 50 survivors of stage I-III breast cancer who participated in the exercise intervention, compared with 50 such survivors randomized to a usual care group (P less than .001), and strong correlations were found between AGFR and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR; r = 0.95; P less than .01), the investigators found.
Study participants had a mean age of 53 years, 54% were overweight (body mass index greater than 25 kg/m2), 63% were Hispanic, 90% had undergone a mastectomy, and 76% received chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Adherence to the intervention, which involved three weekly sessions of supervised, progressive, moderate-to-vigorous aerobic and resistance exercise for 16 weeks, was 95%.
AGFR was calculated using whole-body dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry and HOMA-IR was calculated using fasting insulin and glucose levels.
“Exercise reduces fat mass in breast cancer survivors, however, few studies have focused on AGFR,” the investigators wrote.
The findings of the current study suggest that a progressive aerobic and resistance exercise intervention is an effective strategy for decreasing AGFR in breast cancer survivors, they concluded.
The National Cancer Institute funded the study. The authors reported having no disclosures.
SOURCE: Dieli-Conwright C et al. ESMO 2019, Abstract 228P.