# EFFECTS OF CANCER CHEMOTHERAPY ON DIETARY HABITS

> **NIH NIH R01** · MONELL CHEMICAL SENSES CENTER · 1987 · $69,268

## Abstract

Learned food aversions, aversions which form towards foods following a
pairing of their ingestion with the malaise associated with selected
treatment regiments, have been implicated in the anorexia of cancer.  Our
previous work has served to characterization such aversions in chemotherapy
patients and to suggest an approach for reducing or preventing an influence
of this adverse treatment side-effect on a patient's dietary practices.
The purpose of this proposed project is to confirm and extend our previous
findings by a) characterizing learned food aversions in radiotherapy
patients, b) assessing the role of nausea and emesis as mediators of the
phenomenon and c) evaluating the efficacy of different potential blocking
agents which may be used to protect foods in the patient's diet from
becoming aversive.

Three hundred cancer patients meeting stipulated criteria will be
stratified according to the nature of their pathology and prescribed
treatment as well as exposure to aversion blocking agents.  Each patient
will be evaluated before their first course of therapy and at certain time
points over the subsequent 6 months.  The acquisition of food aversions
will be ascertained by a) open-ended questionnaires, b) ratings for items
consumed in close temporal proximity to treatment on a FACT scale and c) a
two-choice food consumption task.  Patient nutritional status will be
monitored via assessments of weight, serum albumin and transferrin as well
as total lymphocyte count and correlated with the incidence of aversions
and treatment outcome.  The role of the emetic reflex in the acquisition of
learned aversions will be determined by monitoring peripheral arginine
vasopressin levels in patients with different post-treatment illness
response who do and who do not form aversions.

A better understanding of the nature and clinical implications of learned
food aversions among cancer patients should enhance current management
practices and may thereby exert a positive impact on the quality of life
and prognosis of selected patients.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3175123
- **Project number:** 2R01CA037298-03
- **Recipient organization:** MONELL CHEMICAL SENSES CENTER
- **SAM.gov UEI:** DJCTQA1PR7Q4
- **Principal Investigator:** RICHARD D MATTES
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1987
- **Award amount:** $69,268
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 1987-04-15 → 1992-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3175123

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3175123, EFFECTS OF CANCER CHEMOTHERAPY ON DIETARY HABITS (2R01CA037298-03). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3175123. Licensed CC0.

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