Antioxidant intake in paediatric oncology patients.

Summary Background & aims Antioxidant intake can affect both free radical and the nutritional status of children receiving cancer treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate whether children with cancer met their antioxidant requirements. Methods A prospective observational study was performed at a single hospital in England from June 2008 to February 2010. Children with a solid tumour, lymphoma or leukaemia were included. Dietary intakes including 3 modes of feeding (‘diet alone’, ‘diet + tube’ feeding or ‘diet + vitamin-mineral supplementation’ (VMS)) were collected with an estimated food record (EFR) 1 and 3 month post-diagnosis. Four and 24-hr food recalls were performed to validate the food records. Results Forty two children were included: 57% leukaemia or lymphoma and 43% solid tumours. Sixty seven percent underwent chemotherapy and 33% a combination of therapies. In months 1 and 3, greater numbers of children achieved ≥100% of requirements for ‘diet + VMS’ (p  Conclusion Inadequate antioxidant intake was observed in a significant proportion of cancer patients when feeding was not augmented in any way. More research is required to determine the clinical implications of these findings.