title: The effect of nutritional supplements on food intake in patients undergoing radiotherapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the effect of nutritional supplements on food intake in patients undergoing radiotherapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Experimental prospective.
  
  
  METHODS
  40 newly diagnosed patients with cancer beginning external beam radiation therapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Weekly dietary counseling and recording of total daily dietary intake for three days a week for four weeks. One half of the subjects were randomly assigned to ingest a liquid nutritional supplement between meals and at bedtime.
  
  
  METHODS
  Total daily protein and caloric intake, food-derived protein and caloric intake, and supplement-derived protein and caloric intake.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Subjects ingesting nutritional supplements between meals significantly increased their total caloric and protein intake above that of controls and did not reduce their food-derived caloric or protein intake compared to controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nutritional supplements can be used to increase total caloric and protein intake without causing a significant reduction in food intake.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this patient sample, supplements were not substituted for food intake. Further research is needed to determine the effects of supplements on appetite in patients with advanced cancer.
authors.affiliation: University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: McCarthy
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Weihofen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004032:Diet; D004044:Dietary Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004435:Eating; D002149:Energy Intake; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000451:nursing / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D009859:Oncology Nursing; D011446:Prospective Studies
chemical_list: D004044:Dietary Proteins