A person will not recover from severe malnutrition until the cancer is effectively treated. Patients with poor nutrition do not do as well during cancer treatment. That's why good nutrition from the start is so important. Any nutrition is better than starvation. Even a little food can help the person feel better and be better nourished.
Nutrition is one area where a person with cancer can actively do something to help recovery.
Weight Loss Loss of appetite and taste changes are two of the main causes of malnutrition in people with cancer. Not eating enough protein and calories lowers the body's stores of fat and protein. A person may lose 10 percent or more of his or her body weight within a few months during cancer treatment. Weight loss is serious if the person has lost five percent of his usual body weight in one month, or seven and a half percent in three months or 10 percent in six months. Weight loss is severe if more weight than this is lost over the same amount of time.