According to relevant data, the incidence of malnutrition among cancer patients in mainland China is as high as 58%. For cancer patients, malnutrition is not a trivial matter, and the tumor itself is a wasting disease, if the nutritional status is not good, it will inevitably weaken the patient's combat effectiveness and affect the subsequent treatment and prognosis. So how can you tell if a cancer patient is malnourished? How can we improve our nutritional status?
How can cancer patients assess their nutritional status?
1. Weigh yourself
This is a very simple method and it is recommended that cancer patients be weighed at a fixed time each week. If there is no weight loss in the absence of weight loss, it means that there is a risk of malnutrition, and if it drops more than 10% in a short period of time, it means that it is malnutrition.
Then some patients will ask, after chemotherapy and radiotherapy, it is not important to lose weight due to poor appetite. This is a situation that many patients will have, it is generally normal to lose two or three pounds of weight, and you can eat it back when your appetite is restored in the later stage, and you don't have to worry too much. How to judge whether your weight is up to the standard, according to the BMI body mass index: BMI (kg/m') = weight (kg) ÷ height (m) ÷ height (m), the calculation result is 18.5–24.9 is normal weight, < 18.5 means thin. If the BMI is less than 18.5 and there are symptoms of weakness and fatigue, then it means that you are malnourished.
2. Observe the amount of food you eat
See if you have reduced the amount of food you eat in the past week, and if you have lost your appetite. For example, I used to be able to eat 1 bowl of rice at noon, but now I can only eat half a bowl for lunch, and I can add an extra meal in the afternoon before, but now I can't eat it. In this case, there may be a tendency to malnutrition.
3. Other symptoms
Observe yourself for any of the following symptoms: dizziness and fatigue, suggesting possible anemia; Difficulty swallowing, which affects the amount of food eaten; edema of both lower extremities, often due to hypoproteinemia; pleural and peritoneal effusions with protein loss; Long-term diarrhea or constipation, etc.
How can cancer patients improve their nutritional status?
1. Eat a scientific and balanced diet
Diet is the number one way to improve your nutritional status. The diet of cancer patients should follow the following principles:
Eat more protein-rich foods; Eat more vegetables, fruits, and other plant foods; Maintain an appropriate, relatively stable weight; prepare a variety of foods; Eat more foods rich in minerals and vitamins; eat small, frequent meals; Don't be overly taboo; Eat a reasonable diet and exercise appropriately.
In the cooking of food, the food should be processed as light and easy to digest as possible, and the cooking methods of stewing, boiling, steaming and stewing should be used. And create a good eating environment where family members and friends can eat with the patient, so as to increase the amount of food the patient eats.
2. Oral nutritional supplementation
If the patient is really having difficulty in eating and getting enough nutrients through the daily diet, then nutritional supplements can be considered, which are specialized nutritional products developed according to the metabolic characteristics of cancer patients, also known as formula foods for special medical purposes. Compared with food, FSM food is more nutritious and easier to digest and absorb.
3. Seek help from a clinical dietitian
You can consult with the clinical dietitian of the hospital, and according to the specific situation of the patient, a precise and personalized nutritional treatment plan will be formulated, including nutritional knowledge, dietary nutrition, oral or tube feeding nutritional supplements (special medical food), nutritional injections, exercise, etc.