Millions of women are affected each year by breast cancer. For patients who are in active recovery, the road ahead can be uncertain, especially for survivors who navigate their journey toward biological normalcy after treatment.

To shed light on the understudied post-treatment phase of breast cancer, Mayo Clinic conducted a study with breast cancer survivors in collaboration with researchers from Thorne. The findings were published in MDPI’s Metabolites journal in the article, “A Multiomics, Molecular Atlas of Breast Cancer Survivors.”

Thorne’s dedication to research 

While there are many studies conducted on breast cancer patients, there are very few studies that focus on survivors and their long-term health and wellness post-treatment. 

As a health and wellness company, Thorne’s mission is to help individuals live healthier, longer lives at every age and life stage. With more than 40 years dedicated to the science of wellness, Thorne has participated in several types of research to help discover areas of need for millions of customers worldwide. 

The robustness of this study’s design and approach – along with the opportunity to help optimize the post-cancer health and wellness journeys in an underserved population like breast cancer survivors – is something that the medical experts at Thorne felt very passionate about and motivated Thorne’s participation.

During the study, researchers uncovered key insights that advanced the understanding of the unique microbiomes and nutrient needs in breast cancer survivors, which may be leveraged in future studies. 

Key findings

The study recruited 50 breast cancer survivors and 50 healthy, age-matched women and evaluated each participant’s markers of health status, including their gut microbiome composition using Thorne’s Gut Health Test. Using the results of the tests, researchers looked for differences between the microbiomes of the two groups.

One of the interesting findings was that the breast cancer survivors’ microbiomes differed significantly from the control group. Further research is needed to translate these microbiome differences into possible new modes of support for survivors. 

Another key finding from this study was the identification of previously unknown nutrient deficiencies in the group of breast cancer survivors studied. Analysis showed that several omega-3 fatty acids and the Omega-3 Index were low in breast cancer survivors compared to the healthy cohort.

Notably, the study’s findings indicated a potential benefit from omega-3 supplementation to support healthy omega-3 levels in breast cancer survivors. 

Because of the exploratory nature of this study, additional studies will be required to draw further conclusions from the foundational data that was gathered.  

What’s next for clinical research at Thorne?

Clinical research helps address challenges in health and wellness, uncover new insights, validate the efficacy of our products, and ultimately helps individuals optimize their health. As a health and wellness company, Thorne will continue to participate in and further research efforts that help individuals optimize their health and wellness journeys.

We are proud to share the collaborative clinical research efforts of our scientific team and look forward to sharing other updates in the coming years.

The paper can be accessed here: Bauer BA, Schmidt CM, Ruddy KJ, et al. A multiomics, molecular atlas of breast cancer survivors. Metabolites. 2024; 14(7):396. 

Note: Thorne was not a sponsor of this study and did not have a financial undertaking. Thorne’s role, in addition to supplying the test kits, was primarily two-fold: first, helping to design and develop the study protocol, and second, conducting significant portions of the data analysis.

The study was originally positioned as a “hypothesis-generating” study, in order to collect foundational data on an understudied cohort. The results are not meant to translate to treatment or intervention.