Nutritional evaluation, intake of antioxidant nutrients and level of knowledge of patients with breast cancer treated at a hospital in the city of Montes Claros - MG

Ana Maria Dias Lopes, Maria Cristina Seixas, Jaqueline Teixeira Teles Gonçalves, Kássia Héllen Vieira, Camila Teles Gonçalves, Renata Ferreira Santana, Michelle Aparecida Ribeiro Borges, Karina Andrade de Prince

Abstract

The objective was to evaluate the nutritional status of women diagnosed with breast cancer, investigate the average daily intake of antioxidant nutrients and verify their level of knowledge about the importance of healthy eating, containing antioxidant compounds, in the quality of life. This is a quantitative, descriptive, exploratory cross-sectional study, developed in a reference oncology hospital in the municipality of Montes Claros - MG. It was carried out with 29 women over 18 years old, diagnosed with breast cancer and undergoing chemotherapy treatment. Anthropometric data such as weight, height and waist circumference (WC) were collected and the Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated. Two questionnaires were used, one to assess food consumption and the other, the knowledge about the action of free radicals and the importance of antioxidant foods. The average daily consumption of each antioxidant nutrient was obtained by means of the Avanutri® program. As for the nutritional status, overweight (51.7%) and waist circumference values above the ideal (89.7%) predominated. There was a positive correlation between BMI and WC (p-value<0.05). The average daily intake of antioxidant nutrients was below recommended, except for Vitamin C.  There was an association between the level of knowledge about the importance of a diet rich in antioxidants and education (p-value<0.05). The nutritional status, nutrient intake, and level of knowledge about diet should be taken into consideration to help the chemotherapy treatment results and quality of life.