Intervenção nutricional rica em triptofano melhora o sono profundo de mulheres em tratamento do câncer de mama

Abstract

Insomnia affects most women undergoing treatment for breast cancer (BC) and has been widely associated with depression, pain, tiredness, and fatigue. It is believed that specific nutritional interventions can positively modulate and improve sleep variables, aiding treatment, and quality of life. The study analyzed the effect of a sleep-facilitating nutritional intervention on women undergoing treatment for BC. The participants were 50 women undergoing treatment for BC, over 18 years of age, selected from public and private treatment centers in Juiz de Fora - MG. The participants were divided into two groups: the Sleep Diet Group (SDG), which received a sleep-facilitating diet plan, and the Control Group (CG), which received a diet plan based on data on eating habits, portions, and mealtimes. Sleep was monitored using the Mi Smartwatch Band 4C®. In the comparison between groups, a greater total sleep time was observed in favor of SDG in weeks four and five of the intervention (SDG=474.88 min; CG=446.81 min; p=0.007; SDG=467.32 min; CG=439.50 min; p=0.010). SDG had more light sleep time than CG in the fourth and fifth weeks (SDG=320.20 min; CG=293.06 min; p=0.003; SDG=322.38 min; CG=287.16 min; p=0.001. SDG showed less time awake than CG in the fourth week (SDG=12.99 min.; CG=48.64 min.; p=0.035). In the intra-group comparison, a significant difference (p = 0.011) was found in the time awake from pre (10.53 min) to postintervention (5.94 min) for SDG. When comparing the amount of tryptophan in the one-day food plan proposed for GDS, there was a statistically significant increase (p=0.001) from pre (2035.04 mg/day) to post-intervention (4036.55 mg/day). The same condition was observed in the CG diet plan (pre=1063.78 mg/day; post=1499.94 mg/day; p=0.015), being that amount of tryptophan in this group's food did not match the minimum amount of GDS. The results found seem to demonstrate an improvement in sleep quality with the sleep-facilitating diet, which could improve quality of life and provide greater support for cancer treatment. It has been shown to be a strategy that makes it possible to invest in easily accessible food prescriptions that favor increased consumption of tryptophan and melatonin, considering the possibility of its applicability to populations in a state of vulnerability, such as in the treatment of cancer.