# Diet, alcohol and weight during cancer treatment

Source: https://onco.cc/protocols/diet-alcohol-and-weight-during-cancer-treatment/  
OnCo record `diet-alcohol-and-weight-during-cancer-treatment` (Protocol). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

During treatment the aim is to eat enough, especially protein, and keep weight steady; this is not the time to cut calories unless the team advises it. Handle food safely, but a strict 'neutropenic diet' is not recommended. Ask about alcohol, which may need limiting when platelets are low, and about foods that interact with your tablets. Regular exercise is recommended.

## Summary

ESPEN's practical guideline (2021) recommends checking intake, weight change and BMI regularly from diagnosis (strong, very low evidence), no diets that restrict energy in people who are malnourished or at risk (strong, low), vitamins and minerals at about the recommended daily allowance and no high-dose micronutrients without a deficiency (strong, low), and for survivors a healthy weight, physical activity and a diet low in saturated fat, red meat and alcohol (strong, low). It finds insufficient data for a low-bacterial diet more than 30 days after allogeneic transplant. ASCO (2022) recommends regular aerobic and resistance exercise during curative treatment, recommends against neutropenic diets to prevent infection, and finds evidence for other diets and for weight loss during treatment very limited. NCI's Eating Hints (2022) gives practical food safety (clean hands, separate boards, thorough cooking, pasteurised products) and a longer list of foods to avoid when treatment raises infection risk, which goes further than the trials support. Alcohol advice is about specific risks: NCI says to limit or avoid it if platelets are low, and Macmillan to avoid it with diarrhoea. ACS (2025) says some oral drugs interact with food.

## Fields

- Kind: Protocol
- Last checked: 2026-11-11
- Also known as: eating during chemotherapy; nutrition during cancer treatment; alcohol during chemotherapy; neutropenic diet; food safety during cancer treatment; supplements during cancer treatment

## Connected records

- protocols: [Bleeding precautions at home when platelets are low](https://onco.cc/protocols/bleeding-precautions-when-platelets-are-low/), [Food safety during cancer treatment and the evidence against neutropenic diets](https://onco.cc/protocols/food-safety-and-neutropenic-diet/)
- fronts: [Diet, Exercise & Lifestyle](https://onco.cc/fronts/nutrition-lifestyle/)

---
JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/diet-alcohol-and-weight-during-cancer-treatment.json