Consumo de antioxidantes durante tratamento quimioterápico

background: the cancer is defined as chronic multifactorial disease, in which cells have uncontrolled growth. several factors contribute to its development, one of them is inadequate diet. the stages of initiation, promotion and progression of carcinogenesis have often been related to oxidative stress. aim: to assess the consumption of antioxidants in cancer patients during the different cycles of chemotherapy. methods: a descriptive exploratory study, including patients undergoing outpatient chemotherapy. to investigate the consumption of antioxidants, was prepared a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (sqffq) and an anamnesis clinic-nutrition chart. results: the sample consisted of 30 patients with mean age of 56.4 ± 2.3 years. according to the daily consumption represented by cycles, there was an adequate intake of vitamin c, vitamin e and zinc and inadequate intake of vitamin a and selenium. by dividing the study in the four quartiles of intake of antioxidants, there was adequate intake of vitamin a with 25% and inadequate amounts of vitamin c, vitamin e, zinc in 25% of the sample and also selenium in all quartiles. among the studied food sources considered rich in antioxidants, the most used were carrot, spinach, papaya, orange, soybean oil, sunflower oil, red meat, cheese and chicken. conclusion: the studied population reached the recommended daily intake for antioxidants when it was analyzed in cycles of treatment, but there was high percentage of inadequate intake when divided into quartiles. thus, the nutritional advice is an indispensable factor to help prevent and control cancer.