Nestlé Health Science unveils digital platform offering nutritional support for cancer patients

21 Dec 2021 --- Nestlé Health Science is spotlighting the importance of nutrition for cancer patients, in a new platform launched to provide information and support to individuals and their caregivers.

“Many cancer patients are not screened for nutritional status nor receive information on the role of nutrition or nutrition support during their treatment. The right nutrition can critical factor to their health before, during and after treatment,” Fiona Reich, Nestlé Health Science global manager for surgery and oncology tells NutritionInsight.

“Nutrition is a particularly important element since cancer patients can be at high risk for malnutrition. In fact, patients with some types of cancer can have an up to 85% risk,” notes the company.

The website offers in-depth information as well as tips for trying to improve nutritional levels during loss of appetite, nausea, mouth soreness, difficulty chewing or swallowing, as well as changes in taste perception. 

Eggs are rich in a number of vitamins that can help cancer patients obtain nutrients. 

Nutrition’s role
According to Nestlé, the importance of vitamins and minerals in people going through cancer treatment is threefold. It can promote a general sense of well-being, such as making patients feel less tired, boosting the immune system and accelerating the healing process after surgeries.

Vitamin A, found in beef liver, raw carrots, boiled eggs and spinach, can be beneficial to skin, tissue and mucus membrane health. This can aid healing and improve immune system responses, the platform notes. 

Meanwhile, vitamin B12 is spotlighted for producing antibodies and reproducing cells comprising the immune system, helping fight infections. Similarly, vitamin D is noted to be crucial for the immune system and promotes calcium absorption. It is found in fish, oysters, salmon oil, fortified milk and boiled eggs. 

“Vitamin D status should be monitored in all cancer patients and treated with adequate vitamin D supplementation to an amount equal to the recommended daily allowance. We discourage the use of high-dose micronutrients in the absence of specific deficiencies,” adds Reich.

A German study published earlier this year revealed that up to 30,000 cancer deaths and €254 million (US$307 million) in healthcare spending per year could possibly be avoided if those over the age of 50 in Germany were to take vitamin D supplements of 1,000 IU daily. 

Researchers last year also revealed that vitamin B3 consumption could help protect skin cells from the effects of ultraviolet exposure, potentially defending against skin cancer.   

Importance of diet
The Nestlé Health Science platform highlights malnutrition as a key issue many cancer patients face, due to loss of appetite or as a side effect of treatment, for instance. Individuals are encouraged to eat smaller servings but more often, opting to eat the most nutrient-rich meals when most hungry. 

“Between 20% to 80% of cancer patients become malnourished, more frequently the elderly and those in more advanced stages of the disease,” notes the platform.

“Malnutrition can lead to poorer outcomes, and risk of complications which in turn lead to reduced tolerance for their treatment  Poor nutritional status is also associated with higher rates of hospital admissions or readmissions in adult oncology patients, and lower quality of life,” underscores Reich.

For vegetarians and vegans, the company states individuals should check their calcium, iron and vitamin B12 levels, as they tend to be lower for people who avoid meat.

Scientists previously made a significant discovery about how the vitamin B12 content of some plants can be improved to make vegetarian and vegan diets more complete. They observed the amount of B12 absorbed by garden cress is dependent on the amount present in the growth medium.Chickpeas are high in calcium and iron, particularly beneficial for vegan and vegetarian diets.

Rounded support
The platform, mycancermynutrition.com is separated into six sections: diagnosis, treatment, side effects, end of treatment, help for caregivers and products. 

“It was developed with healthcare providers to offer information and support at every phase of the disease, from diagnosis, beginning treatment and ending treatment. Areas covered include coping with side effects, food and nutrition, well-being and routine,” notes the company. 

The importance of nutrition in the fight against cancer has been spotlighted by the World Health Organization, which is examining how the consumption of food and the fight against cancer interact. The World Cancer Research Fund International has also called for tighter global restrictions on marketing food and non-alcoholic beverages high in fat, sugar and salt to children.

Similarly, researchers at Imperial College have created a network-based machine learning platform that can identify food-based, cancer-beating molecules. It has shown that plant-based foods, such as carrot, celery, orange, grape, coriander, cabbage and dill, contain the largest number of flavonoid molecules with high anti-cancer properties. 

By Andria Kades