The Facts about Food after Cancer Diagnosis: A Systematic Review of Prospective Cohort Studies

Abstract

Nutritional guidelines suggest specific energy and protein requirements for patients with cancer. However, cancer patients, often malnourished, use self-made or web-based diets to ameliorate the prognosis of their disease. This review aimed to investigate the associations between post-diagnostic diet and prognostic outcomes in cancer patients. A systematic literature search was performed in Pubmed and Web of Science databases from inception to 30 October 2019, based on fixed inclusion and exclusion criteria. The risk of bias was assessed. A total of 29 prospective studies was identified. Breast (n = 11), colorectal (n = 9), prostate (n = 8) cancers are the most studied. Low- fat diet, healthy quality diet, regular consumption of fiber such as vegetables and high-quality protein intake are beneficial while Western diet (WD) and high consumption of saturated fats could be associated with a higher risk of mortality. Bladder (n = 1), gynecological (n = 1), lung, stomach, and pancreatic cancers still remain almost unexplored. This systematic review suggested that detrimental dietary patterns such as WD should be avoided but none of the food categories (meat, dairy products) should be eliminated in cancer patients’ diet. Further large prospective studies are needed to assess the role of post-diagnostic diet in patients with cancer.

Weight Change in Post-Menopausal Women with Breast Cancer during Chemotherapy—Perspectives on Nutrition, Activity and Bone Metabolism: An Interim Analysis of a 5-Year Prospective Cohort

“…Regarding dietary intake, breast cancer patients reported that they have a relatively low-fat diet with regular consumption of fiber such as vegetables and high-quality protein intake. This kind of diet is reported in other studies as beneficial and high consumption of saturated fats could be associated with a higher risk of mortality [ 35 ]. A systematic review from 2020 shows that the low-fat diet and healthy quality diet should be recommended but none of the food categories (meat, dairy products) should be eliminated in cancer patients’ diet [ 35 ].…”

“…This kind of diet is reported in other studies as beneficial and high consumption of saturated fats could be associated with a higher risk of mortality [ 35 ]. A systematic review from 2020 shows that the low-fat diet and healthy quality diet should be recommended but none of the food categories (meat, dairy products) should be eliminated in cancer patients’ diet [ 35 ]. The BC patients in our study also reported that they eat meat every week, but not daily.…”

Identification of Lifestyle Behaviors Associated with Recurrence and Survival in Colorectal Cancer Patients Using Random Survival Forests

“…Higher all-cause mortality was also reported for lower milk intake [ 48 ]. A low animal protein intake could result in loss of muscle mass, which could worsen clinical outcomes and increase mortality risk [ 49 , 50 ]. Taken together, emerging evidence seems to indicate low fruit and vegetable intake is associated with higher all-cause mortality, especially among colon cancer survivors.…”

Nutrition Consumption Frequencies Scale of Change: Validity and Reliability Study

“…and they revealed a positive tendency in their nutrition intake (such as an increase in the consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains) in order to both contribute to the treatment process and reduce the risk of recurrence. (Brennan et al, 2017;Gavazzi et al, 2018;Rinninella et al 2020;Shi et al, 2020). On the other hand, following applications such as chemotherapy, malnutrition can also be seen in patients due to symptoms such as anorexia, nausea-vomiting, fatigue and mucositis, and the individual has to make a forced change in their eating habits.…”