# The Gut Microbial and Dietary Origins of Cancer Treatment-Related CognitiveImpairment

> **NIH NIH K99** · UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO · 2024 · $150,701

## Abstract

During chemotherapy, 34% of breast cancer survivors (BCS) experience cancer treatment-related cognitive
impairment (CRCI). CRCI degrades memory and executive function as well as quality of life. As the number of
BCS is expected to increase by one million by 2030, there will also be an increase in the prevalence of CRCI.
One understudied risk factor is diet, with an underlying mechanism being the gut microbiota. Post-treatment,
increased fruit, vegetable, and fat consumption protects against CRCI in BCS. However, neither this relationship
nor the underlying mechanisms, such as the gut microbiome, has been investigated during treatment, when
CRCI begins. Adherence to a Mediterranean diet (Med Diet) has been shown to improve memory and to increase
levels of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, a gut bacterium associated with better cognitive scores in non-cancer
populations. In BCS undergoing chemotherapy, this bacterium is linked with neurological toxicity. A Med Diet
during treatment may therefore reduce CRCI incidence or severity via the gut microbiome. The objective of this
study is to determine if diet is related to CRCI in BCS and if the gut microbiome is a mechanistic link. My central
hypothesis is that higher adherence to components of a Med Diet, e.g., fruits, vegetables, monounsaturated fats,
and fiber, will be related to higher scores on neuropsychological tests administered during chemotherapy, and
that the gut microbiome will mediate this relationship. The aims of this study are as follows. Aim 1: Determine
the relationship between components of a Med Diet, gut microbiome, and cognitive function in 30 BCS before,
during, and after adjuvant chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer. Aim 2: Develop a Med Diet intervention for
BCS by conducting semi-structured interviews among BCS who have recently completed treatment to
understand their views and attitudes toward a Med Diet. Aim 3: Conduct a 12-week Med Diet pilot feeding study
among 30 BCS undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy. To complete these aims, I need an interdisciplinary
mentoring team to train me in 1) conducting research in cancer patients, 2) designing a controlled feeding trial,
3) qualitative data collection and analysis, and 4) advanced analysis of complex dietary, neuropsychological,
and gut microbial datasets. Through training with this mentoring team and through the coursework and stellar
facilities offered by my institution, I will complete the K99 phase of this proposal and thus (1) understand the
relationship between diet, the gut microbiome, and cognition during breast cancer treatment, (2) understand
BCS tastes and preferences of a Med Diet during treatment, (3) provide preliminary data for the submission of
two R01 grant submissions; and (4) prepare me to lead a feeding trial during the R00 phase of the award to
understand how the gut microbiome can be manipulated through a Med Diet to reduce CRCI. This K99/R00 will
allow me to become an independent investigator leading gut mic...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10946927
- **Project number:** 1K99CA293168-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO
- **Principal Investigator:** Andrew P McLeod
- **Activity code:** K99 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $150,701
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-06 → 2026-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10946927

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10946927, The Gut Microbial and Dietary Origins of Cancer Treatment-Related CognitiveImpairment (1K99CA293168-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10946927. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*