Innovative food products for cancer patients: future directions.
Itziar TuerosMatxalen UriartePublished in: Journal of the science of food and agriculture (2017)
One of the main challenges for cancer patients under treatment is to prevent and tackle malnutrition. The current clinical nutrition market offers different food supplements or oral nutritional support products (mainly milkshakes or modified texture products) for cancer patients under risk of malnutrition. However, it is worth mentioning that these products do not address the pleasure of eating, since they do not meet sensory requirements, such as taste and smell alterations, nor patients' food preferences, leading to a big impact on their quality of life (QOL). Still, controversy remains regarding the specific nutritional requirements for cancer patients during the disease. Several randomized controlled clinical trials yield opposite results when using different bioactive compounds such as omega-3 fatty acids or antioxidants in order to prevent malnutrition or improve QOL. The use of 'omics' technologies in oncology, such as membrane lipidomics, as a powerful tool to provide new insights for the understanding of diet and cancer and their interacting metabolic pathways, will be discussed. The better knowledge of specific requirements (nutrients, sensory parameters and food preferences) for cancer patients provides valuable information for the food industry in the design of customized food products capable of preventing malnutrition, alleviating symptoms and improving QOL. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.
Keyphrases
- clinical trial
- human health
- physical activity
- end stage renal disease
- fatty acid
- weight loss
- squamous cell carcinoma
- risk assessment
- chronic kidney disease
- randomized controlled trial
- magnetic resonance imaging
- depressive symptoms
- prognostic factors
- young adults
- peritoneal dialysis
- deep learning
- artificial intelligence
- papillary thyroid
- protein kinase
- squamous cell