Taste Alterations Do Not Affect Change in Food Habits and Body Weight in Breast Cancer Patients

Abstract

Background/Aim: Chemotherapy-induced taste alterations (TAs) affect approximately 53-84% of breast cancer patients with significant consequences on flavor perception, possibly leading to food aversion and changes in daily dietary habits. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between TAs and changes in food habits and body weight among early breast cancer (EBC) patients undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy. Patients and Methods: TAs were prospectively evaluated in 182 EBC patients from April 2014 to June 2018. TAs, dietary habits, and body weight were collected by a trained dietician. TAs were classified into different subtypes according to the following basic taste perception: metallic, sweet, bitter, salty, sour, and umami taste. Results: During adjuvant chemotherapy, a significant reduction in the consumption of bread, breadsticks, red meat, fat salami, snacks, added sugar, milk, and alcoholic beverages was observed, regardless of TAs onset. No correlation between these dietary changes and different TAs subtypes was found. Body weight remained stable in most EBC patients (71.4%) and was not influenced by TAs onset and by different TAs subtypes. Conclusion: EBC patients change their dietary habits during adjuvant chemotherapy, mostly following the World Cancer Research Fund recommendations, irrespective of TAs onset and without affecting body weight. Patients and MethodsTrial oversight. A prospective, single-center trial was conducted at the Medical Oncology and Breast Unit of the ASST Spedali Civili of Brescia, registered in "ClinicalTrials.gov database" (NCT identification number: NCT03210441) and approved by the local Ethic Committee of Brescia.

Taste alteration and its relationship with nutritional status among cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, cross-sectional study

“…Regarding BMI, our findings are in line with those of earlier research [ 12 , 13 , 35 , 38 ] which found no appreciable differences in outcomes between patients with and without dysgeusia in terms of BMI. However, evidence confirms that the relationship between BMI and taste perception is complex, and the ability to recognize taste decreased as BMI increased [ 39 , 40 ].…”

“…Weight loss and TAs showed contradictory findings as well. While some studies found that weight loss occurred among patients who experienced impaired taste [ 33 , 34 ], others found no link between TAs and weight changes [ 35 ].…”

Dysgeusia in Patients with Breast Cancer Treated with Chemotherapy—A Narrative Review

“…Indeed, among the main reasons for decreased oral food intake, dysgeusia has been reported in 42.2% of cancer patients [ 48 ], while weight gain may be due to the consumption of strongly flavored, tasty, savory, and energy-dense comfort foods as well as sweetened drinks [ 20 , 23 , 49 ]. However, a recent prospective study [ 50 ] aiming to investigate the relationship between taste alterations and changes in food habits and body weight among 182 women with early BC during adjuvant CT reported that patients changed their dietary habits mostly to follow the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) recommendations (i.e., maintain a healthy weight, be physically active, eat wholegrains, vegetables, fruit and beans, limit ‘fast foods’, red and processed meat, sugar-sweetened drinks, and alcohol consumption [ 51 ]. Interestingly, in the same study despite a significant reduction in the consumption of certain foods (i.e., bread, red meat, added sugar, alcohol, and others), regardless of the presence of dysgeusia, body weight remained stable in 71.4% of the patients and was not influenced by dysgeusia [ 50 ].…”

“…However, a recent prospective study [ 50 ] aiming to investigate the relationship between taste alterations and changes in food habits and body weight among 182 women with early BC during adjuvant CT reported that patients changed their dietary habits mostly to follow the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) recommendations (i.e., maintain a healthy weight, be physically active, eat wholegrains, vegetables, fruit and beans, limit ‘fast foods’, red and processed meat, sugar-sweetened drinks, and alcohol consumption [ 51 ]. Interestingly, in the same study despite a significant reduction in the consumption of certain foods (i.e., bread, red meat, added sugar, alcohol, and others), regardless of the presence of dysgeusia, body weight remained stable in 71.4% of the patients and was not influenced by dysgeusia [ 50 ]. Malnutrition is highly prevalent in BC patients on CT, with percentages of ~20% undernourished patients [ 48 ] and ~20–30% of overnourished patients [ 52 ].…”