title: Preservation of macronutrient preferences in cancer anorexia.
abstract: Indirect evidence suggests that cancer anorexia is associated with specific aversions to macronutrients. To investigate this, patients with cancer anorexia and hospitalized control subjects devised 3-day menus comprising foods that they wished to eat. These foods were then provided for 3 days and the intakes of each food carefully measured. As expected, patients with cancer anorexia consumed substantially less energy than hospitalized control subjects (6.0 +/- 0.9 MJ vs 9.5 +/- 0.5 MJ, P < 0.001). However, macronutrient composition was consistently maintained in the patients with cancer anorexia. These data argue against cancer anorexia representing a state of macronutrient aversion.
authors.affiliation: Endocrine Research Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Levine
authors.forename: M Y
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Morgan
mesh_terms: D000855:Anorexia / Q000209:etiology*; D002100:Cachexia / Q000209:etiology; D004032:Diet; D002149:Energy Intake; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D015596:Nutrition Assessment