New tool to fight cancer

A new dietary tool that quickly and accurately assesses micronutrient levels aims to help cancer patients fight the disease, paving the way for better nutritional options for cancer treatments, according to Flinders University researchers

Chronic inflammation is a risk factor for cancer, which is the leading cause of death globally, with 10 million cancer deaths and 19.

Flinders University doctoral candidate Mitali Mukherjee, a certified practicing dietitian at Flinders Medical Centre, said: "Dietary intake, particularly of anti-inflammatory micronutrients, can play a role in cancer initiation and acceptance.

"Dietary and nutritional choices are important in oncology and should be managed carefully

"Tested on 112 cancer patients, our 21-item food frequency questionnaire for 14 common micronutrients can be completed in about 10 minutes and can be used to screen patients with suboptimal micronutrient intakes

"We hope this will pave the way for observational studies to provide dietary advice in clinical practice and future cancer treatments with chemotherapy and immunotherapy

Ms Mukherjee and other SA Health and Flinders University experts, including Professor Michelle Miller and medical oncologist Dr Shoji Sukumaran, hope to expand the study to use the tool in patients undergoing systemic therapy tested the effectiveness of anti-inflammatory nutrients in cancer patients

The tool tested patient adequacy of micronutrients, including copper, iron, vitamins A, E and D, alpha-linolenic acid, long-chain omega-3 fatty acids (LC n3-FA), arginine, glutamic acid, isotope Leucine, Leucine and Valine

Senior author Dr.

Dietary factors are associated with cancer risk, especially breast, colorectal, head and neck, lung and prostate cancers

Previous research has linked the benefits of lower dietary inflammatory index scores with eating Mediterranean->

Ms Mukherjee said there were currently no validated tools to measure micronutrient intake in clinical settings