Food intake of women with breast cancer during their first six month of chemotherapy.

Significant alterations in the nutritional patterns of the patient with cancer can inhibit the patient's ability to combat the disease and withstand the impact of cancer treatments. This study compared the food intake patterns of women with breast cancer receiving adjuvant chemotherapy with those of healthy women to determine if significant alterations in food intake occurred during the first six months of treatment. Results indicated that, although alterations in taste did occur, food aversions did not develop. Throughout the study, women with breast cancer were eating a significantly greater number of calories and food servings than women who did not have breast cancer. The women with breast cancer were likely to report taste changes for foods such as beef, pork, chicken, coffee, and cakes. However, these taste changes could not account for alterations in dietary intake.