Altered Food Behavior and Cancer: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Abstract

There is evidence of an association between cancer and certain types of altered eating behaviors, including orthorexia, food cravings, and food addiction. Given the growing interest in the topic throughout the scientific community we conducted a systematic review to summarize current evidence on the development of altered food behavior, including food addiction and cancer. The Cochrane Collaboration and the Meta-analysis Of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guidelines were followed to perform this systematic review. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement was used to report the process and results. The structured literature search was conducted on 19 April 2022, on PubMed/Medline and Scopus, combining free-text terms and medical subject headings. A total of seven articles were included once the selection process was completed. Food craving has been associated with different types of cancer in adults and young patients, as well as with orthorexia; conversely, compulsive eating has only been explored in patients with prolactinoma treated with dopamine agonists. This systematic review explored a new area of research that warrants further investigation. More research is required to better understand the relationship between cancer and food behavior.

Adherence to lifestyle recommendations among Norwegian cancer survivors and the impact of traditional and complementary medicine use: the Tromsø Study 2015–2016

“…The reason for these phase-based differences could lie in the challenges of the early phase of survivorship. Cancer and anticancer treatment have been shown to affect smell, taste, appetite, cravings and satiety [ 53 ], all of which influence eating habits and dietary patterns of cancer survivors [ 54 , 55 ]. Other barriers to dietary adherence are gastrointestinal discomfort [ 55 ], inadequate information, and lack of advice on culturally relevant healthy diets [ 18 ].…”

Nutrition and Cancer Care – American and European Context

“…In 2020, cancer was responsible for almost 1 in 6 deaths, a leading cause of death in the world according to data from the World Health Organisation [1]. Nonetheless, significant prevention, diagnosis, and treatment advancements are expected to substantial increase survival rates.…”

“…Nonetheless, significant prevention, diagnosis, and treatment advancements are expected to substantial increase survival rates. Many cases of cancer could be prevented by adopting a healthful lifestyle which includes a healthy dietary pattern [1][2][3]. While historically there have been insufficient effective treatments such as radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or local therapies in oncology patients, the therapy paradigm has been revolutionised in the last decade by the introduction of systemic therapies and lately with next-generation targeted therapies [4,5].…”

Prevalence of Orthorexic Tendencies and Their Correlates Among Lebanese Patients with Cancer

“…Typically, following a cancer diagnosis, special attention is given to the patient’s diet (Nucci et al, 2022). Orthorexia nervosa is an emerging scientific term that “is characterized by a strong preoccupation with one’s eating behavior and with self-imposed rigid and inflexible rules, which are strictly controlled and include spending an excessive amount of time for planning, obtaining, preparing and/or eating one’s food” (Donini et al, 2022).…”

“…Eating disorders symptoms have been found in most patients with cancer (Aslan & Akturk, 2020), and orthorexia is increasingly common among those undergoing cancer treatment and among cancer survivors (Rangel et al, 2012). Different types of cancer were found to be related to some specific maladaptive food-related behaviors such as orthorexia among these patients (Nucci et al, 2022). Orthorexia is not currently labeled as an eating disorder, nor is it found anywhere in the most recent version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association, 2015).…”