Appetite issues, weight loss, and mesothelioma

If you or a loved one have mesothelioma, you probably already know about the associated trouble with food. Many mesothelioma patients have appetite issues, and/or trouble eating and keeping on weight, due to the side effects of the condition and its common treatments.

However, it is crucial for mesothelioma patients to continue getting the nutrients, calories, and protein they need. Not doing so can lead to drastically decreased quality of life, worse treatment outcomes, an increased risk of complications, and more severe symptoms.

Read on for a deep dive into appetite issues and weight loss for mesothelioma patients, exploring what causes these issues and what mesothelioma patients and their caretakers can do to address them.

What Causes Appetite Issues and Weight Loss in Mesothelioma Patients?

Mesothelioma patients typically experience loss of appetite accompanied by weight loss as result of treatment side effects.

The illness itself can also change the body’s metabolism, and symptoms associated with mesothelioma (like tumors, breathing issues, and emotional distress) can all make it harder to maintain a normal diet.

Let’s take a closer look at these common causes of weight loss and lack of appetite in mesothelioma patients:

Side Effects of Mesothelioma Treatment Include Appetite Issues and Weight Loss

Mesothelioma treatment—including chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, and immunotherapy—have common side effects that can make it difficult to eat or want to eat. These include nausea, mouth and throat soreness, and digestive upset, among others.

Many mesothelioma treatments also cause changes in how foods smell and taste. Taste changes vary widely among patients. Food may taste metallic, bland, soapy, extremely bitter, sweet, or salty, or just “off”. In addition, previously neutral or enjoyable food smells may become repulsive and off-putting.

Mesothelioma Symptoms Can Make it Harder to Eat and Keep on Weight

Mesothelioma itself also has unique side effects that can affect a patients’ ability to eat and keep on weight, including:

Changes in metabolism
Tumors and excess fluid
Breathing issues
Stiff tissues
Psychological issues
Emotional distress

Metabolic Changes

Mesothelioma causes metabolic changes (or, changes in how the body converts fuel into energy). Cancer cells take up far more energy than healthy cells, which can kick the metabolism into overdrive (or a “hypermetabolic” state).

Since hypermetabolic mesothelioma patients burn far more calories than usual, they also need to consume far more calories to keep up. This can cause significant unintentional weight loss, even if a patient maintains their usual diet.

In addition, these metabolic changes can also cause the body to burn the wrong tissues, burning healthy skeletal muscle tissue instead of fat. This can lead to an extreme condition called cachexia, or muscle wasting, causing severe weight loss and depletion of nutrients, as well as weakness, fatigue, and other serious side effects.

Tumors and Excess Fluid

A swallowing problem may be a sign of mesothelioma. That’s because mesothelioma tumors and excess fluid in the body (ascites) can cause feelings of extreme fullness and bloating, as well as digestive issues and pain.

As tumors grow and as fluids increase, they may press down on or even block the digestive tract or bowels.

This can cause the body to stop sending normal hunger signals, leaving mesothelioma patients feeling uninterested in food and uncomfortably full after just a few bites.

Breathing Issues

Difficulty breathing is one of the most common symptoms of pleural mesothelioma. Those having trouble breathing often find it very difficult to eat or to focus on food.

As a result of not eating as frequently or as much as normal, patients can start to quickly lose weight. This can compound on itself, making it harder to breathe, and effectively harder to eat.

Stiff Tissues

Many people with mesothelioma experience stiffening of the tissues around the lungs and digestive tract.

This can make it difficult for the stomach and intestines to expand properly in order to accommodate food, which can make it very difficult to eat or to feel hungry.

Surgery and radiation can sometimes worsen this issue by causing scar tissue around the digestive area.

Psychological and Emotional Distress

A mesothelioma diagnosis can be a tough pill to swallow. Stress is completely normal. But dealing with the stress, fear, and uncertainty can cause a range of psychological symptoms, including depression and anxiety.

These issues can make it difficult for those with mesothelioma to want to eat, especially if eating is physically hard or painful.

Learning how to cope with mesothelioma can help ease these psychological distresses and make it easier to keep on weight.

How Mesothelioma Patients Can Deal With Appetite and Weight Loss: Tips and Advice

If you are a mesothelioma patient struggling with appetite and weight loss, the first thing to do is to consult with your mesothelioma care team, and/or seek out an oncology nutritionist or dietician.

Your care team and other medical professionals will know what’s best for your case and ensure you’re getting proper nutrition for mesothelioma.

In addition, the following suggestions may be helpful:

Prioritize Calories and Protein

If you are struggling to eat and keep on weight, the most important thing to focus on is getting more calories and protein.

While it’s always good to eat nutritiously and to get lots of fruits and veggies, it is even more important that you maintain a stable weight to keep up your strength, both for treatment and for quality of life.

To get more calories in your diet, try incorporating more:

Butter, oils, and margarine
Nuts, seeds, and nut butters
Cream, full-fat milk, and full-fat yogurt
Avocado, guacamole, and hummus
Fruit canned in heavy syrup, or with ice cream or whipped cream
Higher-calorie beverages (like fruit juice, soda, milkshakes, and smoothies)
Cream sauces and high-calorie salad dressings

Those struggling to incorporate more protein can try:

Protein-rich salads (i.e., tuna salad, chicken salad)
Enriching milk by adding ¼ cup of powdered milk to 1 cup of whole milk.
Eating more eggs, especially cheese scrambles and desserts made with eggs, like puddings and custards.
Adding cheese—whether it’s melted on sandwiches, or grated onto soups, stews, salads, and pasta.
Adding extra meat, poultry, fish, cheese, nuts, or beans (ideally pinto, navy, black, and/or kidney beans).
Using protein powders and other supplements

Eat 5-6 Smaller Meals Per Day (Instead of 3 Big Meals)

If you find it difficult to eat large meals or feel full very quickly, try several small meals throughout the day.

If you don’t feel hungry as often (or not at all), you might also want to set regular times for these mini-meals throughout the day—ideally including eating within an hour of waking up, and then every three hours or so.

This is one of many different practical tips for living with mesothelioma.

Experiment With Different Foods

It’s important to be flexible, accommodating, and experimental when developing a mesothelioma diet. Experiment if food tastes strange or unappealing, address specific issues, and follow your cravings.

Identify what tastes off or unappealing and avoid it. If something tastes good or is appetizing, stick with it.

Have appealing snacks handy for when you feel hungry.
If food tastes metallic, try using plastic utensils to avoid transferring tastes.
Use a baking soda salt-water rinse or alcohol-free mouthwash to clear your taste buds.
If food tastes too salty, add sugar or apple juice.
If food tastes too sweet, add salt or lemon juice.

You can continue to experiment with new spices and different flavors to see what tastes best for you. Keep in mind that this could change over time.

Consider Nutritional Drinks and Supplements

If you’re having trouble eating real food and keeping it down, a nutritional drink or supplement can help give you the calories and nutrients your body needs.

There are many nutritional shakes and supplements (i.e., Boost, Ensure, etc.) that can be incredibly helpful for mesothelioma patients. You may find drinking a shake much easier than eating a meal, and they often come fully loaded with all of the vitamins, minerals, and proteins you need.

Nausea medications and appetite stimulants can also be helpful.

If you struggle with nausea, ask your mesothelioma care team about anti-nausea meds, as well as prescription appetite stimulants like megestrol, medroxyprogesterone (Provera), corticosteroids, and medical cannabis.

FAQs About Weight Loss and Mesothelioma

Is weight loss dangerous for mesothelioma patients?

Yes, unintentional weight loss can be dangerous for mesothelioma patients because it can be a sign that they’re losing muscle and tissues (not just fat).

Why does mesothelioma cause weight loss?

Weight loss in mesothelioma patients is caused by symptoms of the illness itself (like metabolism changes, tumors, breathing issues, and stiff tissues in the digestive tract), and a side effect of treatment (like chemotherapy and radiation).

What can mesothelioma patients eat to gain weight?

High-protein diets and increasing calorie intake can help mesothelioma patients gain weight. Chicken, fish, cheese, nuts, eggs, beans, avocados, hummus, and full-fat yogurts are all high in protein and are high in calories per serving.

Are you or a loved one looking for more information about mesothelioma lawsuits? Call us at 855-385-9532, locally 502-589-5600, or contact us online to arrange a free initial consultation with a Satterley & Kelley PLLC lawyer.