Healthy Lifestyle Reduces Risk of Childhood Cancer Survivors Developing Metabolic Syndrome

Adhering to a healthy lifestyle reduces childhood cancer survivors' risk of developing metabolic syndrome, a new study reveals.

The study - led by Kristen Ness, PT, PhD of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis - examined whether lifestyle habits affect cancer survivor's risk of developing the metabolic syndrome. They found that children with cancer and adults who had cancer when they were children should be provided information on how their lifestyle influences their health in the long term.

They looked at 1598 childhood cancer survivors who were cancer free for at least 10 years. The researchers used questionnaires and tests to check whether participants adhered to a healthy lifestyle that is recommended by the World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research.

The participants who met at least four of seven recommendations were considered as meeting the recommendation.

"This study is unique because of the large, well characterized population of survivors of various diagnoses that we studied, many years from their original cancer diagnosis," said Dr. Ness.

Metabolic syndrome was present in nearly 31.8 percent of the participants and 27.0 percent of the participants followed the healthy lifestyle guidelines. Those females who did not follow the guidelines were 2.4 times more prone to metabolic syndrome and men were 2.2 times more likely to have metabolic syndrome.

Adults who had cancer as children were at an increased risk for metabolic syndrome, a group of risk factors that increases the likelihood of developing heart disease and other health problems like diabetes and stroke. Those with metabolic syndrome had combination of factors that included high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol & glucose levels and increased body fat.

"These findings are important because they indicate that adults who were treated for cancer as children have the opportunity to influence their own health outcomes," said Dr. Ness. "Cancer survivors should not smoke. In addition, adopting a lifestyle that includes maintaining a healthy body weight, regular physical activity, and a diet that includes fruits and vegetables and that limits refined sugars, excessive alcohol, red meat, and salt has potential to prevent development of the metabolic syndrome."

The finding was documented online in CANCER.