NHMRC grant to investigate diet strategies to alleviate cancer treatment side effects

An accredited practising dietitian, Dr Crichton, from QUT’s School of Nursing, said the project’s aim was to investigate which nutrients and dietary patterns were associated with chemotherapy side-effects.

“This is to enable us to develop diet strategies to prevent or alleviate common and distressing side-effects such as nausea, vomiting, lack of appetite, diarrhoea, and fatigue,” Dr Crichton said.

“Ninety per cent of people undergoing chemotherapy have at least one of these nutrition-related symptoms, which are some of the most debilitating, yet most under-researched side-effects with no evidence available to provide personalised nutrition interventions.

“Nutrition-related symptoms have cumulative and severe effects on quality of life and treatment outcomes, which are worse for people in Southeast Asia compared to those in western countries.

“This multi-site study will identify therapeutically targetable nutritional biochemistry and dietary intake profiles for nutrition-related symptoms during chemotherapy in 840 adults in Australia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.”

Dr Crichton said this would be the first study to measure inter-country differences and cancer-specific personalised nutrition therapeutic targets to improve patient-centred nutrition care during chemotherapy.

• The research team comprises Dr Crichton, Distinguished Professor Patsy Yates, Professor Kimberly Alexander, and Ann Zhang from QUT; Associate Professor Skye Marshall from Deakin University; Dr Lucy Leigh from the Hunter Medical Research Institute.
• Indonesia:  Dr Nurul Huda from Riau University, Professor Agung Waluyo, The University of Indonesia, Dr Noor Rohmah Mayasari, Surabaya State University, Bobby Febri Krisdianto, Andalas University.
• The Philippines: Dr Karen Woolbright, Dr Maria Carmina Joyce Alferez, Dr Ellie May Villegas, Lynn Omega, all from Cebu Doctors University Hospital.

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Niki Widdowson, 07 3138 2999 or n.widdowson@qut.edu.au.

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