Nutrition plays a vital role in all aspects of cancer treatment.
Proper nutrition can:
- Reduce side effects
- Increase treatment tolerance
- Speed your healing process
That's why our registered dietitian works with our patients to help them establish and maintain a sound nutrition program throughout treatment.
In addition, we encourage our patients to limit calorie intake following treatment to avoid excessive weight gain.
Nutrition Counseling and Dietary Supplements During Cancer Treatment
For the most part, a drastic percentage of our population suffers from obesity and inactivity which greatly increases the risk for cancer at a number of sites including colon, breast, uterus and prostate.
During treatment with chemotherapy, many patients gain weight and this should be avoided if possible. Many individuals who gain weight during chemotherapy may have a higher recurrence rate, this has especially been documented with breast cancer.
On the other hand, treatment for some cancers such as intestinal cancers and head and neck cancers with chemotherapy and radiation can result in poor nutrition and inordinate weight loss.
In these cases, patients will sometimes need special nutritional counseling and dietary supplements and, on occasion, feeding tubes to maintain adequate nutrition during the rigors of treatment.
For more information about about nutrition, specific to cancer treatment, call 229-312-0405.