GOOD NUTRITION

DURING CANCER
TREATMENT
By
Dr. Murali Subramaninan
People with cancer should
maintain a healthy body weight and
consume nutritious foods.

Sometimes, the side effects of

surgery, radiotherapy,
immunotherapy, and
chemotherapy can cause a person
to eat less and lose weight. Some
treatments can cause weight gain.
 Nutrition guidelines during
cancer treatment

Here are general

recommendations on nutrition
for people receiving cancer
treatment:
Maintain a healthy weight for
many people, this means
avoiding weight loss by
ingesting enough calories every
day. In obese people, this can
mean losing weight. Consult
your health care team if it is
okay to try to lose weight during
treatment. It may be better to
wait until the end of treatment.
If it is OK to do so, the weight
loss should be moderate, which
means approximately one pound
per week.
Obtain essential nutrients
these include proteins,
carbohydrates, fats and water.
Be as active as possible. For
example, take a daily walk. If
you stay seated or sleep too
much, you can lose muscle
mass and increase body fat,
even if you do not gain weight.
 Ways to get essential nutrients
and maintain a healthy weight

Nutrition counseling can help

people with cancer incorporate
essential nutrients, such as
protein, vitamins and minerals. It
can also help them maintain a
healthy body weight.

To receive nutritional advice, it

is important to consult a
qualified professional. Ask your
health care team to help you find
one of these professionals.
In addition to dietary advice,
they may recommend the
following:

• Multivitamins and / or specific

vitamins or minerals that you do
not receive in sufficient
quantities.

• Liquid nutritional supplements

and snacks with many nutrients.

• Probe feeding or nutritional

support suitable for your body.
 Food Safety

People who receive cancer

treatment should pay attention
to the safety of food. Some
treatments can weaken the
immune system, which increases
the risk of an infection.

Food infections they occur when

harmful bacteria, viruses or fungi
contaminate food and make it
sick. Here are some basic food
safety tips to reduce the risk of
getting an infection.
 Use Of Nutritional Supplements

Low- dose nut r i t i onal

suppl ement s, such as
mul t i vi t ami ns, may be usef ul f or
peopl e wi t h cancer who cannot
r ecei ve al l t he nut r i ent s t hr ough
f ood. Mul t i vi t ami ns ar e
nut r i t i onal suppl ement s t hat
can cont ai n most of t he
vi t ami ns, mi ner al s and t r ace
el ement s t hat ar e needed
dai l y.
They can al so i ncl ude some
mi ner al s, such as cal ci um,
magnesi um or i r on. They ar e
usual l y i ngest ed or al l y i n t he
f or m of pi l l s, capsul es, t abl et s,
l i qui d or powder . Consumi ng
hi gh doses of some nut r i t i onal
suppl ement s can be har mf ul . I t
i s unknown i f some of t hese
suppl ement s coul d af f ect t he
t r eat ment , t her ef or e, t al k t o
your doct or bef or e t aki ng any
suppl ement .
 Ask the following questions
about nutritional supplements to
your health care team:

What ar e t he benef i t s of
t aki ng t hi s nut r i t i onal
suppl ement ?
What ar e t he possi bl e si de
ef f ect s?
Ar e t her e r i sks f or i t s
consumpt i on?
Can nut r i t i onal suppl ement s
i nt er f er e wi t h my cancer
t r eat ment ?
Wher e can I get mor e
i nf or mat i on about nut r i t i onal
suppl ement s?
 Diet and Nutrition After Treatment

Most nut r i t i onal

r ecommendat i ons i ncl ude f r ui t s,
veget abl es and whol e gr ai ns.
The ef f ect of speci f i c nut r i t i onal
f act or s on cancer sur vi val
r at es i s not cl ear l y under st ood
and i s bei ng act i vel y st udi ed.
However , i t i s i mpor t ant t hat
peopl e who sur vi ve cancer
car r y a heal t hy di et , because
t hey may be at i ncr eased r i sk
of devel opi ng ot her medi cal
condi t i ons, such as hear t
di sease, t ype 2 di abet es and
weakeni ng of t he bones.
To r educe t he r i sk of
cont r act i ng ot her di seases,
doct or s gener al l y r ecommend
t hat cancer sur vi vor s f ol l ow
gener al r ecommendat i ons of
good heal t h. These
r ecommendat i ons i ncl ude
eat i ng a nut r i ent - r i ch,
veget abl e- based di et , qui t t i ng
smoki ng, mai nt ai ni ng a heal t hy
wei ght , mi ni mi zi ng al cohol
consumpt i on, and st ayi ng
physi cal l y act i ve.
www.Oncologyinternational.com

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