- How much protein does a cancer patient need?
- Protein-enriched supplements
- What can you eat during cancer?
- Don't let cancer eat your protein!
- Protein - a compendium of knowledge
Protein deficiency in cancer is a serious problem. At least every 3 patients struggle with tissue destruction as a result of the processes of using their own body to fight cancer. In this unique life situation, the need for protein can double. Its deficiency may affect the time and effectiveness of treatment. Hospital statistics show that even every 5th patient in the end stage of the disease dies not from cancer, but from improper nutrition.
How much protein does a cancer patient need?
The protein requirement of an oncological patient may increase two or even three times as a result of the disease. The British Organization for Fighting Cancer recommends that the patient should eat about 20 g of protein per serving with each meal. Unfortunately, it is not easy, because even naturally protein-rich foods contain only about 1/5 of it. A portion of 20 g of protein is, for example, half a chicken breast, 3 large eggs, half a cube (100 g) of cottage cheese or a glass of cooked legumes (e.g. lentils). Balancing meals so that each of the three basic (and we have two more snacks) contains a wholesome source of protein, and the patient receives about 1.5 g per kilogram of body weight for the whole day is a real challenge, especially since protein foods are filling.
Protein-enriched supplements
It soon turns out that an oncological patient cannot and does not want to eat such large meals during therapy, which means that he is not able to provide an adequate portion of protein and the body uses its own reserves. Therefore, products enriched with protein come to the rescue, thanks to which we can easily provide the desired portion of protein in a smaller portion. Special dietary products - Oral Food Supplements (DSP / ONS) enriched with protein - can be easily incorporated into everyday meals and meet the patient's requirements, protecting him against exhaustion. A glass of such a drink provides the necessary nutrients and an almost 20-gram portion of protein. We can drink it on our own, thicken it and eat it like a pudding or dessert with dried fruit or cereals, and also use it as a sauce for pancakes.
The second solution is concentrated protein powder. In one large spoon of a neutral tasting powder (which consists ofdried and purified natural milk proteins) contains as much as 5 grams of protein (the same as in a full glass of milk). It is easy to mix with soup, sauce or even water and supplement potential protein deficiencies in a meal when we are not able to deliver the right amount (or quality) of protein to the body.
The process of burning protein reserves by the body is extremely unfavorable and may shorten the life and worse prognosis of an oncological patient. Therefore, from the very beginning of treatment, you should monitor your protein intake and whether you are not losing your own muscle protein. Thanks to this, we will protect the body from destruction, just as a reasonable owner will heat his house, to which he will order coal supplies, so that the furniture will remain intact, and the house will be immediately habitable when the harsh winter passes. Thanks to the same action, the patient will join the life after the illness faster and will endure it better.
Protein deficiency in cancerhappens very often and is always unfavorable. Our entire body is made of proteins. Our blood cells are also produced from proteins - both white and red. Proteins themselves have a very different structure and chain length depending on where they are in the body and what their function is. In times of crisis, some of them can be broken back into individual building blocks - amino acids that can be used to build other proteins and even generate energy. Since protein is very valuable in the body and we can store it to a limited extent (mainly in muscles), the process of "burning protein for energy purposes" is extremely unfavorable for us.
What can you eat during cancer?
Don't let cancer eat your protein!
Imagine that cancer is a harsh winter, as a result of which the home uses all available raw materials to burn in a stove. All the coal, wood, rubbish … When they run out, the host starts chopping the furniture and burning it to survive. This is also the case with us - if we do not provide high-quality protein in the right amount in our daily diet, cancerous cachexia occurs. It does not necessarily have to be visibly emaciated, because sometimes, as a result of exhaustion, the patient suffers from swelling and looks "plump", which reduces his and his family's vigilance.
Protein is not only essential for the patient's normal regeneration processes, but is also used by the body to create an inflammatory response in the body. Then a lot of proteins are formed, incl. the so-called acute phase proteins, which can use up reservesproteins in the body, i.e. breaking down muscles (including the heart) and other tissues, causing widespread damage. It is often not the oncological treatment that weakens the patient and impairs his ability to return to normal functioning after the disease, but the exhaustion of the body as a result of improper nutrition, which causes numerous secondary diseases.