When is nutrition support appropriate?

Your healthcare professional will decide with you what type of nutrition support is best for you. Nutritional supplements may be part of that nutrition support. Nutritional supplements are available from doctors and pharmacists. They are packed with calories and contain a balance of the important nutrients that your body needs to help prepare you for what is ahead.

NICE has produced Guidelines on Nutrition Support in Adults. The booklet for patients and carers 'Understanding NICE guidance - information for people who need nutrition support, their families and carers, and the public' has useful information about this and says: "You should be considered for nutrition support if:

  • your BMI is less than 18.5
  • you have lost more than 10% of your weight in the past 3 to 6 months without trying
  • your BMI is less than 20 and you have lost more than 5% of your weight over the past 3 to 6 months without trying.

If you can swallow safely and you need nutrition support, you may be offered nutrition support by mouth (orally). Your healthcare professional should work with you to ensure your diet contains varying amounts of the following nutrients to meet your needs - calories, protein, water, minerals, vitamins.

Your healthcare professional will help you to make changes to your current diet. For example, you may need to eat more high calorie foods such as butter, milk and sugar. Or you may need to eat more regularly - for example, having three meals and three snacks every day. You may be offered fortified foods or special nutritional supplement drinks with added nutrients. If you have vitamin and mineral deficiencies your healthcare professional should offer you supplements.

Any changes to your diet will need to be gradually introduced. This is because your body will have started to slow down and will need time to readjust to having nutrients again.

Your oral nutrition support should be stopped when you can take in enough nutrients by eating normally."

At diagnosis: Up to 40% of cancer patients have a loss of appetite when first diagnosed. Nutritional support can give cancer patients high energy density foods, to meet energy needs required to be prepared for the treatment phase.

Before surgery: Some people with cancer may benefit from nutrition support even before having surgery. How long you will need nutrition support for beforehand will vary from person to person. But the more weight you have lost the longer you may need it, ask your healthcare professional about this.

During therapy: Increasing nutritional intake through dietary advice and use of nutritional supplements is recommended to help prevent weight loss and any interruption of radiotherapy in patients undergoing treatment of the gastrointestinal tract or head and neck areas.

After care: To prevent flavour-fatigue, a common side effect of cancer patients, nutritional supplements are available in various flavours.

Source: Nutrition in cancer Editorial Board, The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE)