The body needs these two vitamins to make white blood cells (7). If your diet is poor, or you are having a lot of trouble eating during treatment, you may benefit from taking a multivitamin and mineral supplement with vitamin B12 and folate. The dietitian can review your food intake and ensure you are getting adequate protein and other nutrients during and after treatment. If possible, consult with a Registered Dietitian (RD) at your cancer center for an individualized nutrition plan to address your needs during cancer treatment. Good quality protein is important for cancer patients to include in their diet, because our bodies need the building blocks (amino acids) from the protein we eat to make the new WBCs. The American Cancer Society’s recommendations for foods to avoid for neutropenia are available online, at: (6). However, you should wash these foods thoroughly before you eat them. You do not need to avoid fresh fruit and vegetables, because this practice has not been shown to reduce the number of major infections (5). If you have neutropenia, you should avoid raw meat, eggs and fish, moldy or expired food, unwashed or moldy fruit and vegetables, and unpasteurized beverages, including fruit and vegetable juice, beer, milk, as well as unpasteurized honey. If your ANC is low, you can minimize your risk of infection by using an antibacterial soap and warm water, and scrubbing your hands for 15-30 seconds several times per day, and every time before you prepare food (4). When this happens, a person is more susceptible to infections. Neutropenia, which simply means low levels of neutrophils, occurs when Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) falls below 1500 (2). Neutrophils are the cells that fight bacterial infection. While no specific foods or diet changes are proven to increase production of white blood cells, if you have low WBC (leukopenia), it is very important to practice good hygiene, hand-washing, and food safety practices. Keep in mind that the amount of time it takes for WBC to return to normal varies from person to person. Most cancer patients, however, will recover their WBC much more quickly. WBCs and all other blood cells are made in the bone marrow, so radiation to bones, especially as a child, can cause chronic suppression of blood cell production and low counts (1). Most of the time, blood counts will return to normal before a person starts the next round of chemotherapy, and also after cancer therapy is completed.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |