A review of evidence-based practice in nutrition related complementary therapies: improving the knowledge of dietitians

摘要

Use of complementary and alternative medicine in cancer continues to increase and there is a need for health professionals to provide evidence-based information. The aim of this review was to determine whether nutritional supplementation, as a complementary and integrative therapy during oncology treatment, has either improved or adversely affected outcomes. A literature review and appraisal of the hierarchy of evidence until February 2010 were undertaken, excluding individual studies, animal studies, in vitro studies and anecdotal reports. The search results included 52 articles for inclusion. The summary of evidence was divided into four main sections: supplements that had a potential positive effect and no evident harm, supplements that had a potential positive effect but also had side-effects, supplements that had no effect, and supplements that had potential negative/harmful effects. There is a significant volume of evidence concerning nutrition related complementary therapies, however the evidence is generally weak and there are multiple variables making it difficult to extrapolate generalised recommendations for any one type of supplement. The challenge remains to provide strong evidence to support complementary and integrative therapy as part of integrated mainstream treatment therapies.