Impact of chemotherapy on perceptions related to food intake in women with breast cancer: A prospective study

Abstract

Breast cancer (BC) treatment includes mostly chemotherapy (CT), which can cause side effects like nausea, taste changes, early satiety, slow gastric emptying and xerostomia. In this way, the individual’s relationship with food may change during the treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of chemotherapy on perceptions related to food intake of women with BC. Fifty-five women with BC were followed, and data were collected at three periods during first-line CT: beginning (T0), intermediate (T1) and end (T2). A visual analogue scale (VAS) (0 to 10 cm) for hunger, appetite for various food categories and meal enjoyment was investigated. The frequency and intensity of side effects were evaluated using a 4 cm scale. The results showed a higher prevalence of taste changes in T1 (p = 0.044) and more nausea in T1 and T2 (p = 0.018). Furthermore, the intensity of nausea was higher in T2 (p = 0.01) than in the other periods. We observed moderate hunger in T0, T1 and T2 (p = 0.113), but the overall appetite increased between T0 and T2 (p = 0.003). Meal enjoyment was reduced from T0 to T1and returned back to the initial value in T2 (p = 0.021). The appetite for salty (p = 0.004) and spicy (p = 0.03) foods was increased in T1. There was an increase of body weight (p = 0.008), body mass index (BMI) (p = 0.009) and waist circumference (WC) (p = 0.03) during CT. CT changes food hedonism, increasing the overall appetite and the appetite for salty and spicy foods. Moreover, we observed the negative impact of CT on meal enjoyment and an increase in side effects and anthropometric parameters.

Diet quality and its relationship with overweight and laboratory parameters in breast cancer patients undergoing treatment

“…This finding was consistent with earlier studies [23,24]. Avoidance and abstinence of certain foods are common among cancer patients, owing to belief that animal products is the cause of cancer development [19,20] or treatment-related side effects that alter the taste perception [25]. On the other hand, dairy products are not the habitual intakes of Malaysian [34], which may further attribute to the low consumption of dairy products among the patients.…”

Diet quality and its relationship with overweight and laboratory parameters in breast cancer patients undergoing treatment

“…This finding was consistent with earlier studies 23,24 . Avoidance and abstinence of certain foods are common among cancer patients, owing to belief that animal products are the causes of cancer development 19,20 or treatment-related side effects that alter the taste perception 25 . On the other hand, dairy products are not habitual intakes of Malaysian 32 , which may further attribute to the low consumption pattern of dairy products among the patients.…”

“…Contrary to popular belief, the intake of whole grain products that commonly known as healthy food was low in this cohort of breast cancer patients. During treatment, cancer patients experience various side effects which could interfere with the ability of consuming a balanced diet 25,35,36 , in spite of the high awareness of practising healthy eating. The compliance towards refined grain guideline could be deduced from the assessment of whole grains, where both of these components yield identical interpretation.…”

“…Nonetheless, few studies highlighted the reduced diet quality during treatment among breast cancer patients, which resulted from the poor adherence to dietary guidelines for the components of fruits and vegetables 23,24 , grains, solid fats, alcohol and added sugars 23 . This could be explained by the altered taste or increased eating pleasure for "heavy taste" food during treatment 25 . Preference for spicy and salty food was found to associate with overweight in breast cancer patients, in light of its potential impact on increased overall appetite via oral sensory stimulation 25 .…”

“…This could be explained by the altered taste or increased eating pleasure for "heavy taste" food during treatment 25 . Preference for spicy and salty food was found to associate with overweight in breast cancer patients, in light of its potential impact on increased overall appetite via oral sensory stimulation 25 . Diet quality summarizes dietary habits and patterns of an individual in relation to factors such as compliance to dietary guidelines and nutrient adequacy 26 whereby the diet-disease relationship could be more detectable 12 , which is imperative for the successful implementation of dietary strategies.…”