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

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.