According to researchers from the University of Copenhagen and Rigshospitalet, both in Denmark, counseling cancer patients individually about their diet may help prevent one common adverse effect (AE) associated with cancer: malnutrition.
They randomly assigned 61 outpatients with esophageal, gastric, or gynecologic cancer to 1 of 2 groups. Both groups had a regimen, including weight measurement, a 24-hour dietary recall interview, and monitoring of micronutrient status. In the intervention group (n = 32), patients also received intensive, individual dietary counseling for 1 hour per week, and if the patient accepted, a daily oral nutritional supplement. The counseling focused on the importance of nutrition related to the patient’s condition, explaining the targets, and getting patients to agree on specific dietary goals to be fulfilled.
Because the patients had different diagnoses and treatments, study participation ranged between 5 and 12 weeks. In all cases, follow-up was done 3 months after the end of treatment. At that time, significantly fewer of the 24 intervention patients who were available for follow-up had lost weight (mean: 44% vs 72%, P = .05). By the end of treatment, the intervention group also had significantly higher daily intake of both energy and protein, compared with the control group (mean: 86% vs 71%, P < .05). At follow-up, the intake of protein had increased significantly in the intervention patients, although the positive effect on weight management did not persist after the intervention ended.
The intervention did not have a significant effect on patients’ quality of life, treatment-related AEs, body composition, or the appearance of micronutrient deficiencies anytime during the study.
Source
Poulsen GM, Pedersen LL, Østerlind K, Bæksgaard L, Andersen JR. Clin Nutr. 2014;33(5):749-753.
doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2013.10.019.