Food Aversion during Cancer Treatment: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Individuals with cancer often present food aversion after initiation of anti-tumor treatment, which may impair nutritional status. We aim to assess the prevalence and factors associated with food aversion during cancer treatment. Articles from three databases were searched: MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane Library. English was used, with no restriction on the year of publication. Inclusion criteria were original articles that evaluated food aversion in adults and the elderly undergoing chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy treatment. Fifteen articles were included. A high prevalence of food aversion (21–62%) was observed, with meat considered the most aversive food. The aversion is usually transient and may be due to gastrointestinal problems, such as nausea and vomiting, caused by chemotherapy or radiotherapy treatment, and even psychological and emotional issues. Offering a new food before the beginning of treatment seems to be an effective strategy to reduce aversion, combined with nutritional and psychological monitoring. Cancer patients have a high prevalence of food aversion. Multidisciplinary care can minimize the consequences of cancer treatment.

Data Availability

The data supporting the results of this review are available within the paper and within the supplementary data.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Box 1. Sample characteristics and design of the included articles.

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Box 2. Main results of the included articles.

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Additional information

Funding

The authors thank the Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Sudeste de Minas Gerais for supporting the development of the study. JS Oliveira thanks the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES, Brazil) for financial support (code 001). These agencies played no role in the conception, design, writing, and approval of this manuscript.