Taste perception and eating behavior in adult patients during treatment for acute leukemia.

• Grant number: 24/17604-0
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: February 01, 2025
• End date: January 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Nutrition - Nutritional Analysis of Population
• Principal Investigator: Juliana Maria Faccioli Sicchieri
• Grantee: Juliana Maria Faccioli Sicchieri
• Host Institution: Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto da USP (HCMRP). Secretaria da Saúde (São Paulo - Estado). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Jéssica Micheletti

Abstract

Abstract: Changes in eating behavior, dysgeusia, and weight variation are characteristics often observed in children during treatment for Acute Leukemias (ALs), but still little explored in adults. Treatment protocols with chemotherapeutic agents and high doses of glucocorticoids can cause effects associated with hyperphagia, weight gain, and worse clinical outcomes. Hyperphagia, linked to illness, can dramatically impact the way one eats. In addition, treatment can induce taste changes. Given this demand, investigating how these changes occur and whether they interfere with nutritional status is fundamental in the search for a better clinical outcome. Objective: To evaluate taste perceptions and changes in eating behavior among adult individuals undergoing treatment for ALs. Methods: Longitudinal and prospective study, with patients over 18 years old, diagnosed with AL, submitted to high-intensity protocols. The evaluations will occur at two moments: M1, before treatment and M2 at the end of remission induction. Taste Strips taste tests, bioimpedance by spectroscopy (BIS), 24-hour recall, FCQ-T-r scale (Food Cravings Questionnaire-Trait- reduced) and serum leptin dosage by ELISA will be used. The sample will be composed for convenience, with participants from the institution's Acute Leukemias Outpatient Clinic (ALA). The statistical analysis will include Pearson or Spearman correlation tests and Student's T or Mann Whitney association tests, cluster analysis to define dietary patterns from the Multiple Source Method (MSM) and variance analysis by Anova 2x0. A p<0.05 will be adopted as the level of significance. (AU)