5 Vitamin Questions Everybody in Most cancers Remedy Ought to Ask

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Almost 40% of men and women in the United States will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their life. The cancer path is long and arduous, and it can be difficult to assess gaps in your care because each treatment plan can be so varied and individual.

But what if an often overlooked component of cancer treatment could speed recovery, improve treatment tolerance, reduce side effects, lower the risk of infection, decrease hospital stays, and much more?

That component is nutrition.

Maintaining an adequate nutritional level can be difficult for cancer patients. It is estimated that up to 80% of patients will be malnourished at some point during their cancer illness. Malnutrition is an imbalance in the nutrients the body needs to thrive.

In cancer patients, malnutrition is triggered by the complex interplay between reduced food intake, increased energy consumption due to metabolic changes, systemic inflammation, tumor growth and the therapies used during treatment. Simply put, the body burns fuel faster but has difficulty getting enough micro- and macro-nutrients, which creates a deficit. This deficit leads us to use our energy savings by losing fat and muscle.

To make matters even more difficult, it is common for cancer patients to need more calories to maintain their body weight and nutritional status than they did before they were diagnosed with cancer. It is estimated that 20-30% of deaths in cancer patients are due to malnutrition rather than the cancer itself.

Fortunately, there is an answer. Medical nutritional therapy, given by a registered dietitian, has been shown to reduce the risk of malnutrition and improve outcomes during cancer treatment. Nutritional intervention for cancer patients may include nutritional counseling, oral supplementation, and, if necessary, enteral feeding (via tube to the stomach) and / or parenteral nutrition (intravenous or via port). These interventions have been shown to improve weight, energy intake, and quality of life.

However, access to nutritional care during cancer treatment is sparse. In fact, over 75% of cancer centers do not have a registered dietitian on staff, and only about half monitor the nutritional status of cancer patients. The focus during cancer treatment shifts to treatment regimens, and it can be easy to forget the simple fact that our bodies need food to survive.

Here are some helpful questions to ask your care team about your nutritional care next visit:

  • I am interested in learning more about how I can optimize my nutritional status to aid my cancer treatment. Is there a registered nutritionist on staff that I can access for assistance and guidance? If a registered dietitian is not available through the center, can you recommend one who specializes in cancer?
  • How do we monitor and correct my nutritional status and / or accidental weight loss during my treatment?
  • What are the most common side effects of treatment, such as loss of appetite, dry mouth, and diarrhea, that could make it difficult for me to get adequate nutrition? Do you have any recommendations on how to minimize these side effects if they occur?
  • Are there any dietary restrictions or changes that I should be aware of during my treatment?
  • What are the warning signs of malnutrition?

Cancer treatment can be overwhelming. Taking measures to improve your diet can make your journey easier – and can improve both your outcome and your quality of life.

Nutrimedy Inc. enables nutritionists to deliver personalized, evidence-based clinical nutritional support to people with conditions, including cancer. This article was written by Karolina Starczak RDN who is CEO; Mallory Franklin PhD, RDN LD, Chief Clinical Officer; Cori Hooker, Customer Success Manager; and Sarah Andrus MS, RDN, LD, a nutritionist with Nutrimedy.

To find healthy recipes for people with cancer that have been reviewed by a registered dietitian, click here.