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Cancer is a disease characterized by the uncontrollable growth and division of abnormal body cells. Cancer can be localized, but in some cases, it can spread to other parts of your body. Cancer can have a profound impact on your physical, emotional, social, and financial well-being. Having the right tools to navigate your cancer journey can help optimize recovery outcomes and ease the treatment process. A dietitian can also be a tool to help you with cancer prevention. This article will teach you how a registered dietitian can help you maximize your nutrition during cancer treatment.
Working with an oncology dietitian can be beneficial because they are well-versed in the unique set of nutrition issues that you face as a cancer patient. Oncology nutrition counseling can include topics such as loss of appetite, weight changes, susceptibility to foodborne illnesses, malnutrition, and side effects of treatment. While most registered dietitian nutritionists have training and experience working with cancer patients, seeking the guidance of a Board Certified Specialist in Oncology Nutrition (CSO) can enhance your recovery outcomes even further. This is because a CSO dietitian has specialized training in addressing your unique nutrition needs as a cancer patient and can provide the nutrition counseling you need to navigate your cancer diagnosis.
Nutritional internvention in cancer patients has been linked to better chances of recovery and lower incidences of remission. According to the National Cancer Institute, malnutrition is prevalent in 30% to 85% of cancer patients, is associated with increased treatment toxicities and diminished quality of life, and accounts for 10% to 20% of mortality in these individuals. Working with a registered dietitian nutritionist can help you prevent malnutrition and maximize recovery outcomes. A well-rounded diet can also mitigate the loss of lean body mass, help alleviate uncomfortable symptoms, increase strength, and improve quality of life.
If you have a family history of cancer, then prioritizing cancer prevention becomes especially important due to factors such as an increased genetic predisposition and shared environmental or lifestyle influences. A registered dietitian nutritionist can help you understand your family history, encourage regular screenings, and support you in adopting a healthy lifestyle. This may include individualized strategies to balance nutrition and including foods to optimize overall health while identifying and minimizing nutritional risk factors for cancer.
Cancer treatments can include unfavorable side effects that can affect the patient’s ability to consume adequate nutrients and affect overall quality of life. Additionally, the type of cancer that you have can present unique health challenges that will need individualized attention. For example, those with neck cancer may require tube feeding due to swallowing issues. An oncology dietitian can help you better manage those symptoms related to your condition or treatment.
Cancer depletes energy and strength due to increased metabolic demands, chronic inflammation, muscle wasting, nutritional deficiencies, and other side effects, including the physical and emotional toll of the disease. Nutrition plays an important role in fighting cancer and your recovery process. An oncology dietitian can help individualize nutrition care for your symptoms and ensure you get the nutrition you need to manage your condition effectively.
Unfavorable side effects can include loss of appetite, constipation, diarrhea, nausea, taste changes, and mouth and throat sores. An oncology dietitian can make recommendations to maximize the calories in the food you are able to eat and prevent weight changes. This helps to ensure you get the nutrition your body needs to recover.
Cancer treatments, including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, bone marrow or stem cell transplants, surgery, and corticosteroids, can weaken the immune system. You may be at higher risk of getting sick from foodborne illness if you are receiving any of these treatments. An oncology dietitian can provide tips to help you lower incidences of foodborne illness and, therefore, enhance recovery outcomes.
Cancer increases calorie needs because the dividing cells require more energy to sustain their growth. Cancer can also cause systemic inflammation, which increases calorie needs as well. Unintentional weight changes are concerning because they can indicate the loss of muscle mass, which weakens your body, reduces your physical strength, and compromises your immune function. This can make it harder to tolerate treatment, slow your recovery, increase your risk of complications, and reduce your quality of life. An oncology dietitian can help provide support for achieving or maintaining a healthy weight and, therefore, reduce negative side effects.
Some individuals undergoing treatments require a feeding tube or total parenteral nutrition (TPN) if oral intake is insufficient. This can be in the case of head and neck cancers, esophageal/gastrointestinal obstructions, or severe malnutrition. TPN may be necessary in the case of bowel obstructions, short bowel syndrome, intestinal fistulas, or debilitating side effects that prevent adequate nutrition through the digestive tract. Tube feedings and TPN require a higher level of nutritional monitoring. An oncology dietitian can provide support in managing nutrition support and reducing complications.
Those with cancer are at an increased risk for malnutrition from both the cancer itself and its associated treatments. An oncology dietitian can help make sure your unique needs are met by providing nutrition recommendations and interventions to address and prevent malnutrition. If you are struggling with cancer, ask your doctor for a dietitian referral so that you can learn more about cancer nutrition interventions specific to your needs.
A cancer diagnosis impacts physical, emotional, social, and financial well-being. Working with a registered dietitian nutritionist can be important in optimizing recovery and can help you eat to address the side effects of treatment. An oncology dietitian (CSO) specializes in cancer care, addressing unique challenges like malnutrition, weight loss, and the risk of foodborne illness. A registered dietitian can help you feel stronger, manage treatment symptoms, and choose the optimal foods to support overall health. Proper nutrition can help maintain lean body mass, increase energy, improve quality of life, and address treatment side effects. Oncology dietitians can also offer specialized guidance to ensure proper nutrition in those requiring tube feeding or TPN. Prioritizing nutrition with the guidance of oncology dietitians can empower you to be strong, manage treatment side effects, and improve your quality of life. Together, you and your registered dietitian nutritionist can collaborate to support better recovery and outcomes with a healthy eating plan to prevent and reduce symptoms.
Offices currently located in Syracuse, Buffalo, Albany, and Rochester, NY, but we see patients all across the country.
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