A Novel Mobile Phone App (OncoFood) to Record and Optimize the Dietary Behavior of Oncologic Patients: Pilot Study.
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BACKGROUND Catabolism and tumor specific therapy lead to reduced nutrient intake and weight loss in cancer patients Maintaining a specific individualized diet can be challenging for the patient as the nutritional counseling options are limited Monitoring of nutrient intake and frequent feedback are however vital for successful nutritional therapy because they support the patient s compliance and realization of dietary therapeutic goals OBJECTIVE This study aimed at investigating the feasibility and applicability of a novel mobile phone app to assess and evaluate dietary behaviors in oncologic patients METHODS To determine dietary habits and food preferences in oncologic patients initially 1400 nutritional records were evaluated and analyzed The results provided the basis for creating a nutritional mobile phone app Key requirements for the app included simple handling recording the daily intake and a comparison of nutrient targets and current status In total 39 cancer patients were recruited for the study 15 patients dropped out prior to the study All patients received a nutritional anamnesis nutritional analysis and nutritional counseling Individual energy and nutrient aims were defined The intervention group n 12 additionally used the app Weight and body composition of each group were evaluated after 4 weeks RESULTS The app group gained significantly more weight P 045 mean weight 1 03 kg vs 1 46 kg Also skeletal muscle mass showed a significant increase in the app group P 009 mean skeletal muscle mass 0 58 kg vs 0 61 kg compared with the control group There was no significant difference between groups relating to the daily protein intake P 06 Additionally there was a decrease in macronutrient intake during the study period in the control group CONCLUSIONS Our study indicates that patients who track their daily dietary habits using a mobile phone app are more likely to reach their nutritional goals than the control patients Further large scale studies are needed to confirm these initial findings and test the applicability on a broader basis