While many healthy people struggle to lose weight, the majority of patients with advanced cancer experience involuntary weight loss that can have a devastating impact on their quality of life, reduces their ability to tolerate chemotherapy and leads to poor survival.

There are no medications available that safely stimulate appetite or cause weight gain but a new cookbook, Good Nutrition for Cancer Recovery, has just been launched by University College Cork to help cancer patients gain weight.

The high-protein, high-calorie recipes for the book were submitted by dietitians, nurses, doctors, celebrity chefs and cancer patients from all around Ireland. Many recipes in the book are family favourites, but the ingredients have been enhanced to maximise the calorie intake in small volumes.

Dr Aoife Ryan, dietitian and lecturer in nutritional sciences at UCC and lead author of the book, was funded by the Health Research Board (HRB) to lead the project.

She explains: “If you’ve ever watched someone you love suffer from cancer, then you know that one of the side effects is weight loss. This weight loss can be very dramatic and can affect up to 80 per cent of cancer patients. Even though many patients try to eat as much as they can, they are unfortunately dealing with a series of complex changes in their metabolism. The cancer itself produces many hormones and chemical messengers that break down muscle and fat stores, cause inflammation and reduce appetite. The net result can be rapid weight loss over a short period.”

Ryan points out that obesity is a big risk factor for cancer and many of today’s cancer patients do not look malnourished and might in fact be overweight but have lost a lot of muscle very quickly. This can result in much more toxic side effects of chemotherapy and the need to reduce or stop treatment earlier than planned.

The cookbook includes information, advice and nutritious recipes to combat weight loss. The range of soups made with full-fat butter and milk and even double cream includes cream of chicken, pea and bacon, and parsnip, ginger and carrot.

Light meal options include watermelon, orange and feta salad, creamy salmon sandwich and chicken, pecan and mango salad with passion fruit dressing. The main-dish section of the book includes many easy-to-prepare Irish family favourites such as Irish stew, shepherd’s pie and chicken casserole along with spinach, chicken and sweet potato curry, potato and beef gratin and pesto chicken.

The book contains a variety of recipes for smoothies and drinks packed with ingredients such as cream, milk, ice cream, flaxseed and honey to thicken and boost nutritional content. These are ideal for people who have difficultly swallowing or sore mouths or who find cooking smells off-putting.

Dr Derek Power, a consultant medical oncologist at Mercy and Cork University Hospitals, says: “Every working day as a cancer specialist, patients ask me how they can stop losing weight. Weight loss that is not intended is a devastating condition for patients and I see it most commonly in patients with cancers of the gut [oesophagus, stomach and pancreas] but also in lung cancer and in patients with advanced disease at other organ sites . . . With cutbacks in the health service over the past few years, it is not possible for most cancer patients to access a dietitian for one-to-one advice . . . I welcome this wonderful resource and, in my opinion, it will be an invaluable tool for patients with eating difficulties during their difficult journey with cancer.”

The book has been endorsed by the Irish Nutrition & Dietetic Institute (INDI) and the Irish Society of Medical Oncology (ISMO).

The HRB funding has allowed for the production of 19,000 copies of the cookbook to be made available free to cancer patients. It is available from oncology centres across the country, and at breakthroughcancerresearch.ie or cancercookbook.ie. To donate €4 to cancer research, text BCR to 50300; or make a donation on the website.