Nutrition for Cancer Patients

According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, a balanced and healthy diet is of utmost importance for someone undergoing treatment for cancer. This is a time when there is a lot of demand on the body.  There are two main nutritional objectives for individuals living with cancer. They are:

1. To maintain a healthy weight.
2. To select and eat healthy foods that supplies the body with energy and nutrients for repair and healing.

When the body is battling cancer, behaviors and eating habits often change and the way the body uses nutrients change as well.  The side effects of the cancer treatment can cause loss of appitite and cause food to taste bland.  It is at these difficult times, when it is difficult to cope with changes in your eating habit,  that the body can benefit from good, wholesome liquid nutrition.

Studies done by the American Institute of Cancer Research shows that it is not uncommon to experience changes in the way your body handles sugar or in your blood sugar level. You may experience hyperglycemia (high blood sugar). It is less likely you will experience hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). If you encounter this, adietitian can advise you on ways to control your blood sugar through diet.

Consult the food guide pyramid for the recommended daily servings of the different food group.  But if you are having trouble getting the nutrition that your body so desperately need at this difficult time, consider liquid nutrition, it could be the answer for keeping your body healthy.

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Does Stress Reduction Benefit Cancer Patients' Health?

SATURDAY, April 2 (HealthDay News) -- Reducing cancer patients' stress may benefit their health, a new study finds.

Researchers investigated whether chronic stress associated with cancer diagnosis accelerated shortening of telomeres. These structures on the ends of chromosomes protect the chromosome from deteriorating, breaking apart or joining with other chromosomes, which can lead to mutations.

The investigators also wanted to see if counseling sessions designed to lower stress and improve quality of life affected telomere length.

The study included 31 women with cervical cancer who were randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group received usual care along with six counseling sessions by phone while the other group received usual care without counseling.

Biological samples were collected from both groups at the start of the study and again after four months. The findings are to be presented Saturday at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) in Orlando, Fla.

"Improved quality of life and reduced stress response was associated with changes in telomere length," Dr. Edward Nelson, division chief of hematology/oncology at the University of California, Irvine, said in an AACR news release.

It's important to remember that this was "an exploratory and preliminary" study, he added.

Still, "there is no doubt that offering psychological services has the potential to improve quality of life and outcomes of patients. After all, making patients feel better should be an outcome that a cancer team should want to have, but whether we can draw conclusions or make recommendations about the capacity of a behavioral intervention to modulate telomere length remains an open question," Nelson said.

Experts note that research presented at meetings has not been subject to the rigorous review that precedes publication in a medical journal.

More information

The American Cancer Society has more about the emotional and mental impacts of cancer.

SOURCE: American Association for Cancer Research, news release, April 2, 2011

Copyright © 2011 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

View the original article here

Does Stress Reduction Benefit Cancer Patients' Health?

SATURDAY, April 2 (HealthDay News) -- Reducing cancer patients' stress may benefit their health, a new study finds.

Researchers investigated whether chronic stress associated with cancer diagnosis accelerated shortening of telomeres. These structures on the ends of chromosomes protect the chromosome from deteriorating, breaking apart or joining with other chromosomes, which can lead to mutations.

The investigators also wanted to see if counseling sessions designed to lower stress and improve quality of life affected telomere length.

The study included 31 women with cervical cancer who were randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group received usual care along with six counseling sessions by phone while the other group received usual care without counseling.

Biological samples were collected from both groups at the start of the study and again after four months. The findings are to be presented Saturday at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) in Orlando, Fla.

"Improved quality of life and reduced stress response was associated with changes in telomere length," Dr. Edward Nelson, division chief of hematology/oncology at the University of California, Irvine, said in an AACR news release.

It's important to remember that this was "an exploratory and preliminary" study, he added.

Still, "there is no doubt that offering psychological services has the potential to improve quality of life and outcomes of patients. After all, making patients feel better should be an outcome that a cancer team should want to have, but whether we can draw conclusions or make recommendations about the capacity of a behavioral intervention to modulate telomere length remains an open question," Nelson said.

Experts note that research presented at meetings has not been subject to the rigorous review that precedes publication in a medical journal.

More information

The American Cancer Society has more about the emotional and mental impacts of cancer.

-- Robert Preidt

View the original article here

Early Brain Therapy May Help Movement in Dystonia Patients

THURSDAY, March 31 (HealthDay News) -- For people with the movement disorder dystonia, starting deep brain stimulation therapy early in the course of the disease provides better results, according to a new study.

Dystonia is a potentially crippling disorder that causes muscles to contract, resulting in involuntary twisting of affected areas of the body. Deep brain stimulation is approved in the United States for certain treatment-resistant dystonias.

The study included 44 patients, aged 10 to 59 years, with generalized dystonia who received a deep brain stimulation device, which consists of electrical leads implanted in the brain and an electrical pulse generator placed near the collarbone. The device controls abnormal nerve signals that cause uncontrolled muscle contractions in people with the disorder.

After receiving the device, all of the patients experienced overall improvement in their ability to control muscles and movements (motor function). After one year, there were significant improvements in all ratings of affected body regions and functions such as speech, with the exception of three patients whose symptoms worsened somewhat between years one and three.

Additional improvements were seen after three years, according to the study published in the March issue of the Journal of Neurology.

The investigators also found that patients who were over the age of 27 years when they received the device had an additional 10 percent average improvement between years one and three. Before receiving the device, 32 patients were taking prescription drugs, but one year after getting the device that number fell by 52 percent, and after three years it fell by 80 percent.

"Our data suggest that patients who begin treatment earlier in the disease process may expect a better general outcome than those with longer disease duration. Also, age at surgery appears to influence the time necessary to achieve the best clinical response, meaning that older patients need more time before reaching their potential benefit," senior author Dr. Michele Tagliati, director of the Movement Disorders Program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, said in a journal news release.

Tagliati and other study authors have financial ties with Medtronic Inc., which makes deep brain stimulation devices.

More information

We Move has more about dystonia.

-- Robert Preidt

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