Examining the Beneficial Aspects of Nutritional Guidance Using Estimated Daily Salt Intake in Cancer Patients with Ischemic Heart Disease

BACKGROUND: The outcomes associated with nutritional guidance for patients with ischemic heart disease undergoing cancer treatment have not been explored. We examined the effects of nutritional guidance using estimated daily salt intake in cancer patients with ischemic heart disease. MATERIAL/METHODS: We examined the data from physical examinations and laboratory assessments of 27 patients with suspected excessive salt intake who underwent coronary angiography for the first time and received nutritional guidance on their next visit to the Department of Cardiology of Shizuoka Cancer Center between May 2018 and March 2020. Salinity measurement was not used in the nutritional guidance method, but the patients were instructed to reduce consumption of salt-containing foods. We compared the frequency of the estimated daily salt intake with the frequency of categories requiring salt control (food, cooking, and table salts). RESULTS: The median age of the participants was 74 (range, 63–86) years. The estimated daily salt intake and the rate of change in the triglyceride level were negatively correlated (r=−0.61, P<0.01). The estimated daily salt intake was reduced in 16 cases; there was a relative decrease in the frequency of food intake among categories requiring salt control compared with that in the nonimproved cases (P<0.01). No difference was found between the cancer stage and the affected site of the digestive system in either group (P=0.64, P=0.39). CONCLUSIONS: Nutritional guidance on dietary habits without using salinity measurement was beneficial in preventing ischemic heart disease and food intake reduction in cancer patients.