Neutropenic Diet Treatment During Cancer Treatment, Evidence Based?
There is absolutely no evidence that following a neutropenic diet during cancer treatment works, prevents infections or improves immunity. It just makes common sense. During cancer treatment the immune system is often compromised. You need to do everything possible to keep the infections at bay. A neutropenic diet limits certain types of food in order to limit exposure to bacteria. They are designed to reduce the risk of food-borne illness (food poisoning) in individuals whose immunity is low due to low white blood cell counts.
Small studies have been conducted that suggest that extensively limiting certain foods is not more effective than general food safety practices for minimizing the risk of infection in those individuals with low white blood cell counts. The problem with doing a large controlled trial is that it would involve randomizing some people to receive no special guidelines for food safety. The fear of infection is high among most healthcare providers who just aren’t willing to risk not following any particular guidelines for patients with very low white blood cell counts, even for the purposes of a controlled trial.
Typically, health care workers feel that following neutropenic diet guidelines just makes sense intuitively, isn’t going to cause harm, and may protect the patient from unnecessary infection risk, so there are no reasons not to use it.
This addresses a very important fundamental problem with evidence-based dietetics. Sometimes there isn’t any evidence, it just makes sense.
About the Author
Kathy Shattler received her Master of Science degree from Michigan State University in E. Lansing Michigan in Human Nutrition. Her twenty-two years of practice includes holding positions as a Lecturer, Chief Clinical Dietitian and Program Manager. Kathy is the Founder of Nutri-Care Consulting and is currently the Nutrition Director of www.CEU4U.COM, an online continuing education management company for Registered Dietitians and Dietetic Technicians.
