ESPEN 2012 - Late breaking abstract submission

Topic: Late Breaking Abstract

Abs n°:ESPEN12-1901

Abs Title: USE OF DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS IN CANCER - PREVALENCE AND REASONS

N. Stobäus ^1,*M. Freudenreich ²S. Wolf ¹K. Klümpner ¹K. Norman ¹

¹Department of Gastroenterology, Infectiology and Rheumatology (Section Nutritional Medicine), CHARITÉ - UNIVERSITY MEDICINE, ²Elisabeth Klinik, Berlin, Germany

Rationale: Cancer patients often use dietary supplements but its use is controversial. Little is known about the prevalence of dietary supplements intake in cancer patients in Germany.

Methods: In an interims analysis of our prospective study, we evaluated data of 202 patients (95 men) with various cancer diagnoses from University hospitals and day care units in Berlin. Intake of dietary supplements was assessed by questionnaire with regard to intake prevalence, type of dietary supplements as well as reason for supplementation and attitude to supplements. Additional information was collected about diagnosis, therapy, education, living situation and smoking status.

Results: 57.9% of the patients reported a change of nutritional habits after cancer diagnosis. This change was mainly characterized by an increased consumption of healthy food (41.2%) whereas only 3.5% followed a specific cancer diet. 40% of the patients reported intake of dietary supplements, whereof the majority started after cancer diagnosis. Of the patients taking any kind of supplements, 38.9% consumed specific teas, 21.5% specific juices, 24.1% multivitamins, 8.8% vitamin C, 2.5% vitamin E, 8.8% vitamin B-complex, 22.5% calcium, 15% selenium, 10.1% zinc, 9% iron, 10% omega 3 fatty acids. Main reasons given for the intake of dietary supplements were to improve immune system (44.1%), avoid malnutrition (31.2%), support conventional cancer therapy (20.7%), and increase quality of life (22.6%) as well as to treat cancer (23.7%). Patients who lived by their selves changed their nutritional habit after cancer diagnosis significantly more often (68.3% vs. 52.9%, p=0.042).

Conclusion: In this first analysis of our ongoing study we see that the majority of patients taking any kind of supplements started at cancer diagnosis. Intake of supplements should always be evaluated in cancer patients in order to avoid therapy interactions, deficiency or oversupply.

Disclosure of Interest: None Declared

Keywords: cancer and nutrition