Science encounters Clinical Practice – Publication of the book Eating for the Oncology Patient – Distributed free to patients and health professionals
Diet may be essential in the success of recovery for oncology patients. It was with the intention of helping these patients that two researchers and teachers from the IMM Nutrition and Metabolism Unit, Paula Ravasco and Maria Ermelinda Camilo, recently published a book about “Eating for the Oncology Patient”. The book brings together a set of nutrition recommendations based on scientific evidence, written in clear and accessible language both for professionals and for patients and family members, and its first priority is to be distributed free in hospital centres and health centres. The work belongs to a project carried out on a national scale, with private financing from Bayer Schering Pharma Portuguesa, the company that also distributes the publication to anyone who requests it.
“The aim of the book is to inform patients and health professionals who deal with oncology patients about how they can maintain a nutrition intake suited to the possible symptoms that arise from treatments like radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy”, reveals Paula Ravasco. “Above all, our aim is to help patients to maintain and improve their nutritional state, their tolerance to treatments and their quality of life”, she continues.
Diet is a fundamental issue for patients with cancer, and there are frequent problems associated to under-nourishment. The illness and the treatments contribute towards a lack of appetite, alterations in the taste and smell of foodstuffs, nausea, vomiting, difficulties in swallowing, and even repugnance towards some foods. As a consequence, 65 to 70% of cancer patients may suffer significant weight loss. “A balanced diet adapted individually to each patient improves tolerance to the noxious side effects of the treatments, contributing towards reducing morbility and potentially improving response to the therapy and even the prognosis of the illness. According to the clinical tests we have been carrying out, there is an effective improvement in nutritional ingestion and states, in tolerance to treatments and in quality of life in 85% of cases”, explains Paula Ravasco.
Chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy treatments are associated to side effects, and nutrition may influence the process of the treatment. As this is the only thing the patient can control, diet is considered essential to maintain an active life and to manage to face up the side effects of the therapy. Therefore nutritional advice should be incorporated into the overall treatment of the oncological illness, and should be reviewed regularly and adapted to the patients’ conditions. For example, in situations of significant weight loss a reinforcing of the diet with high protein and calorie foodstuffs is one of the strategies for optimising ingestion and quality of life. “The most suitable diet for this type of patients is obviously an individualised one, because each patient is different. Each person has their own habits, preferences and likings, and each patient reacts differently to his illness and to the treatments” states Paula Ravasco.
This initiative is a good example of how basic and clinical research can have direct implications on people’s lives and health. This is, indeed, one of the Nutrition and Metabolism Unit’s aims, bringing together clinical research and translational research in the field of nutrition. Currently the unit is carrying out several research projects in areas such as nutrition and cancer, malnutrition associated to illness, nutrition and quality of life, metabolic dysfunctions, nutrition and modulation of illness and genetic polymorphisms, among others.
Cheila Almeida
Marta Agostinho (marta-elisa@fm.ul.pt)
Communication and Training Unit
Institute of Molecular Medicine
http://www.imm.ul.pt
Diet may be essential in the success of recovery for oncology patients. It was with the intention of helping these patients that two researchers and teachers from the IMM Nutrition and Metabolism Unit, Paula Ravasco and Maria Ermelinda Camilo, recently published a book about “Eating for the Oncology Patient”. The book brings together a set of nutrition recommendations based on scientific evidence, written in clear and accessible language both for professionals and for patients and family members, and its first priority is to be distributed free in hospital centres and health centres. The work belongs to a project carried out on a national scale, with private financing from Bayer Schering Pharma Portuguesa, the company that also distributes the publication to anyone who requests it.“The aim of the book is to inform patients and health professionals who deal with oncology patients about how they can maintain a nutrition intake suited to the possible symptoms that arise from treatments like radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy”, reveals Paula Ravasco. “Above all, our aim is to help patients to maintain and improve their nutritional state, their tolerance to treatments and their quality of life”, she continues.
Diet is a fundamental issue for patients with cancer, and there are frequent problems associated to under-nourishment. The illness and the treatments contribute towards a lack of appetite, alterations in the taste and smell of foodstuffs, nausea, vomiting, difficulties in swallowing, and even repugnance towards some foods. As a consequence, 65 to 70% of cancer patients may suffer significant weight loss. “A balanced diet adapted individually to each patient improves tolerance to the noxious side effects of the treatments, contributing towards reducing morbility and potentially improving response to the therapy and even the prognosis of the illness. According to the clinical tests we have been carrying out, there is an effective improvement in nutritional ingestion and states, in tolerance to treatments and in quality of life in 85% of cases”, explains Paula Ravasco.
Chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy treatments are associated to side effects, and nutrition may influence the process of the treatment. As this is the only thing the patient can control, diet is considered essential to maintain an active life and to manage to face up the side effects of the therapy. Therefore nutritional advice should be incorporated into the overall treatment of the oncological illness, and should be reviewed regularly and adapted to the patients’ conditions. For example, in situations of significant weight loss a reinforcing of the diet with high protein and calorie foodstuffs is one of the strategies for optimising ingestion and quality of life. “The most suitable diet for this type of patients is obviously an individualised one, because each patient is different. Each person has their own habits, preferences and likings, and each patient reacts differently to his illness and to the treatments” states Paula Ravasco.
This initiative is a good example of how basic and clinical research can have direct implications on people’s lives and health. This is, indeed, one of the Nutrition and Metabolism Unit’s aims, bringing together clinical research and translational research in the field of nutrition. Currently the unit is carrying out several research projects in areas such as nutrition and cancer, malnutrition associated to illness, nutrition and quality of life, metabolic dysfunctions, nutrition and modulation of illness and genetic polymorphisms, among others.
Cheila Almeida
Marta Agostinho (marta-elisa@fm.ul.pt)
Communication and Training Unit
Institute of Molecular Medicine
http://www.imm.ul.pt
