Mindful eating as a supportive intervention for breast cancer survivors: a pilot randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Background Breast cancer (BC) survivors often face weight management and disordered eating challenges that may impair quality of life. This pilot randomized controlled trial evaluated the effects of a six-session mindful eating intervention on eating behaviors and body composition in BC survivors. Methods Breast cancer survivors were enrolled in a pilot randomized clinical trial and randomly assigned to mindful eating intervention plus treatment-as-usual (TAU + MEI, n = 13) or treatment-as-usual alone (TAU, n = 15). Intuitive and mindful eating were assessed using the Intuitive Eating Scale-2 (IES-2) and the Mindful Eating Questionnaire-30 (MEQ-30). Anthropometric measures were assessed monthly over six months. Longitudinal changes were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA and generalized estimating equations (GEE). Results Reliance on hunger and satiety cues increased significantly over time in both groups (TAU: p = 0.004; TAU + MEI: p = 0.007). Significant improvements were observed in selected mindful eating dimensions, including disinhibition, emo-tional eating, eating control, and eating with attention and intention (all p < 0.05). MEQ-30 total scores increased significantly in both groups (TAU: p < 0.001; TAU + MEI: p = 0.010). Waist circum-ference decreased significantly in the TAU group (p = 0.002), while hip circumference decreased in the TAU + MEI group (p = 0.009). GEE analysis showed that participation in the TAU + MEI group was independently associated with lower BMI over time (p = 0.013), whereas HR(+)/HER2(-) sub-type and chronic disease were associated with higher BMI (all p < 0.05). Conclusions Both TAU and TAU + MEI were associated with improvements in selected eating-behavior and anthropometric outcomes over time, including indicators of central adiposity, with no clear overall superiority of TAU + MEI across the outcomes assessed. These exploratory findings support further investigation of incorporating mindful eating into standard nutritional care for breast cancer survivors.