The liking and preferences of people with thoracic cancer for oral nutritional supplement drinks

SummaryBackground and aimsMaintaining an appropriate nutritional intake is recommended in patients with cancer, using oral nutritional supplements (ONS) if necessary. However, adherence to ONS can be poor, in part because some patients find them unpalatable. Differences in the liking of ONS between patients and healthy volunteers have also been reported. To explore this further, we have examined the initial liking and preferences of patients with incurable thoracic cancer to selected ONS as well as healthy volunteers.MethodsParticipants tasted four ONS (juice-, milk-, yoghurt- and skimmed milk powder-based) in a flavour of their choice. ONS were presented in identical sealed containers, in random order, with one repeated as an internal control. Participants rated each ONS using a Likert ‘like–dislike’ scale and indicated their favourite.ResultsThirty-one patients and 32 healthy volunteers took part, with all 22 flavour options of the four ONS selected by one or more participants. Overall, participants generally liked the ONS, with median scores ranging between 1 ‘definitely like’ and 3 ‘mildly like’. However, scores differed significantly between patients and healthy volunteers, who respectively rated the skimmed milk powder- and the yogurt-based ONS the best (median [IQR] scores 1 [1–3] and 2 [1–3]; P = 0.05) and also their most favourite (by 12/31 and 16/32; P = 0.02).ConclusionsHealthy volunteers and patients with thoracic cancer exhibit different likes and preferences for ONS, with the latter most preferring a skimmed milk powder-based ONS. Further studies should explore the effect this may have on long-term acceptance and adherence.