WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A new study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology explored whether patients with severely weakened immune systems should eat fresh fruits and vegetables during treatment.
'Recently, some doctors have questioned whether a more liberal diet could safely be encouraged, especially since it might make eating easier, more enjoyable and, hopefully, improve nutrition among patients,' co-lead author John Wingard said.
The study focused on people with blood cancers whose treatment greatly reduces neutrophils, the white blood cells that help fight infections. Contrary to earlier research, the trial found that patients who followed a less restrictive diet had more infections. Those allowed to eat fresh fruits and vegetables had an 11 percent higher infection rate than patients on the stricter neutropenic diet, a low-bacteria eating plan.
More than 200 hospitalized blood cancer patients receiving chemotherapy or stem cell transplants took part in the study. They were randomly assigned to either a neutropenic diet, which limits fresh foods, or a more liberal diet that included at least one serving of fresh fruits or vegetables each day. Patients on the liberal diet were also allowed to eat pasteurized yogurt.
Nurses and dietitians closely tracked everything patients ate and drank, including hospital meals, supplements, outside food, and fresh produce. To improve accuracy, researchers used a web-based system to monitor food intake in real time and quickly spot missing data.
The researchers had set safety limits in advance and stopped the study early once results showed a higher risk of serious infections in the liberal diet group.
'I don't think the neutropenic diet is that bad,' Wingard concluded. 'It's just that patients who have been treated this way have a symptom called dysgeusia, which means everything tastes bad. And then you have nausea and stuff.'
However, the researchers noted that more work is needed to address nutrition problems. Patients in both groups did not eat enough calories, likely due to side effects such as nausea and loss of appetite during treatment.
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