CANCER FOCUS with Dr. SHarmin
YOur Eating Guide
Before, During and After Cancer Treatment
What's inside this
special Edition:
- Importance of Nutrition
- Your Guide to Eating Healthy
- Certain Do’s and Don’ts in Eating
- Dietary Chart
- Food Options
- A few ways to add Proteins and Calories
- Denvax and Nutrition
why IS nutrition so important?
Written by
Dr Sharmin Yaqin
Nutrition is an important part of treating cancer.
Nutrition is a process in which the food we take in is used by the body for growth and healing, to keep it healthy. Eating the right food before, during and after cancer treatment is important for the patient to feel better and stay stronger. Good nutrition also helps to decrease side effects both during and after cancer therapy. It is advisable for care givers and families to be aware of the nutritional aspects of cancer management, and help their patients with proper diet and care. Majority experience weight loss as disease progresses. Some 40-80% patients suffer from malnutrition based on the cancer type, location, stage and treatment. Malnutrition leads to increased treatment complications, reduced response to treatment, reduced quality of life, and reduced survival. Just like cancer treatment is important, so is nutrition, for fighting the ill effects of disease.
For many patients, the effects of cancer and cancer treatments make it hard to eat well. Cancer treatments that affect nutrition include chemotherapy, surgery, radiation therapy, and any other therapy that has high toxicity. Additionally, restricting diet due to any reason, may affect patient’s nutrition and nourishment. Also noted is that when head, neck, mouth, esophagus, stomach, liver, pancreas or intestines are affected by the cancer or its treatment, it is hard to take in enough nutrients to stay healthy. Cancer and its treatments affect taste, smell, appetite and the ability to eat food. This results in malnutrition making the patient feeling weak, tired and unable to fight infection, or finish cancer treatment. This may cause malnutrition. A condition called cachexia, marked by weakness, weight loss, fat and muscle loss, is seen in patients with cancers that cause obstruction, affect eating and digestion, or due to tumor growth. This extreme weight loss could also be due to surgery, radiation or chemotherapy, and due to various other reasons like anorexia, anxiety, depression, extreme fatigue, prolonged nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Having any of these issues needs proper management for achieving optimum health and fighting the disease.
For many patients, the effects of cancer and cancer treatments make it hard to eat well. Cancer treatments that affect nutrition include chemotherapy, surgery, radiation therapy, and any other therapy that has high toxicity. Additionally, restricting diet due to any reason, may affect patient’s nutrition and nourishment.
Also noted is that when head, neck, mouth, esophagus, stomach, liver, pancreas or intestines are affected by the cancer or its treatment, it is hard to take in enough nutrients to stay healthy. Cancer and its treatments affect taste, smell, appetite and the ability to eat food. This results in malnutrition making the patient feeling weak, tired and unable to fight infection, or finish cancer treatment.
This may cause malnutrition. A condition called cachexia, marked by weakness, weight loss, fat and muscle loss, is seen in patients with cancers that cause obstruction, affect eating and digestion, or due to tumor growth. This extreme weight loss could also be due to surgery, radiation or chemotherapy, and due to various other reasons like anorexia, anxiety, depression, extreme fatigue, prolonged nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Having any of these issues needs proper management for achieving optimum health and fighting the disease.
