Baseline association between Health Eating Index 2015 and health-related quality of life in breast cancer survivors enrolled in a randomized trial

Quality of life significantly affects health outcomes in cancer patients. However, evidence on the association between diet quality and quality of life in cancer survivors is sparse. The aim of this study was to evaluate the associations between an a priori diet quality index, the Healthy Eating Index 2015 (HEI-2015) and quality of life, assessed through a validated questionnaire in women with a breast cancer diagnosis. Higher HEI-2015 score was positively associated with summary quality of life score, with functional scale and inversely associated with symptoms scale. Significant associations were also found between single HEI-components and overall quality of life scores. These results suggest that higher quality of diet could positively affect quality of life of breast cancer survivors living in a Mediterranean country, highlighting the need to implement nutritional treatment in breast cancer survivors as part of a multidisciplinary approach to improve quality of life and related health outcomes.