Clinical implications of learned food aversions in patients with cancer treated with chemotherapy or radiation therapy

Abstract

Background: The nutritional implications of learned food aversions were evaluated in patients with newly diagnosed cancer receiving either chemotherapy (n = 53) or radiation therapy (n = 49).

Methods: Aversion incidence was determined by questionnaires and a food challenge. Measures of dietary and nutritional status included ratings of appetite and chemosensory function; reported shifts of food selection and measured body weight; lymphocyte count; hematocrit; and plasma albumin, transferrin, and hemoglobin levels. Quality of life was assessed by self-ratings of mood and well-being.

Results: Subsequent to the initiation of treatments, aversions formed in 56% and 62% of patients receiving chemotherapy and radiation therapy, respectively. The aversions were specific (two to four items per afflicted patient) and transient (mean duration, 0.25-2 months). All types of foods and beverages were targeted. No significant association was observed between food aversion incidence and any measure of dietary complications, nutritional status, or quality of life.

Conclusions: Although food aversions are a common sequela of chemotherapy and radiation therapy, they generally have limited clinical significance.