Why getting enough protein is important

You need protein!

Having cancer leads to a significant increase in your need for protein. That’s why it’s important to make sure you get enough. Experts recommend about 1.2 to 1.5 g of protein per kg of body weight per day. If you have severe inflammation, you’ll have to up this to 2 g per kg of body weight per day.

This means that if you weigh 60 kg you will need to consume about 72 to 120 g of protein per day.

The following foods are rich in protein:

• meat and fish
• Eggs
• milk and dairy products
• pulses such as lentils, peas, beans, soya, and tofu
• nuts and peanuts
• cereals and cereal products

Author: Dr. Volker Henn | Reviewer: Dr. Christian Keinki

Sources:

• Watling, C. Z., Schmidt, J. A., Dunneram, Y., Tong, T. Y. N., Kelly, R. K., Knuppel, A., Travis, R. C., Key, T. J., & Perez-Cornago, A. (2022). Risk of cancer in regular and low meat-eaters, fish-eaters, and vegetarians: a prospective analysis of UK Biobank participants. BMC Medicine, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-022-02256-w
• Diet and cancer information. (n.d.). Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust. Retrieved December 15, 2022, from https://www.royalsurrey.nhs.uk/dietandcancer
• Hiscock, K. (2022, June 7). 10 best sources of protein. BBC Good Food. https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/best-sources-protein
• Arends, J., Bachmann, P., Baracos, V., Barthelemy, N., Bertz, H., Bozzetti, F., Fearon, K., Hütterer, E., Isenring, E., Kaasa, S., Krznaric, Z., Laird, B., Larsson, M., Laviano, A., Mühlebach, S., Muscaritoli, M., Oldervoll, L., Ravasco, P., Solheim, T., . . . Preiser, J. C. (2017). ESPEN guidelines on nutrition in cancer patients. Clinical Nutrition, 36(1), 11–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2016.07.015
• Is a vegan diet safe during cancer treatment? (2022, August 1). World Cancer Research Fund. https://www.wcrf-uk.org/health-advice-and-support/living-with-cancer/is-a-vegan-diet-safe-during-cancer-treatment/
• Vegetarian, vegan and plant-based diet. (2021, April). British Dietetic Association. https://www.bda.uk.com/resource/vegetarian-vegan-plant-based-diet.html
• Healthy eating and cancer. (2020, August 1). Macmillan Cancer Support. https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/impacts-of-cancer/healthy-eating-and-cancer

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