Can I take two or more products at the same time?

Is it o.k. to take two or more products at the same time? Products such as Benecalorie and Beneprotein or Beneprotein and Impact Advanced Recovery?

In general and in a word: Yes, but that's truly just the beginning of the answer to these questions.

It's important to have a general sense of what your daily needs are for both calories and protein, and to understand common values associated with tolerated foods and the portions you are able eat. A registered dietitian available through your physician's office, hospital or cancer treatment center can help you determine your needs and guide you to an appropriate choice of nutritional supplements if needed. If you don't have a registered dietitian at your disposal, the American Dietetic Association has a Nationwide Nutrition Network of dietitians available in your area. To reach them, simply call 1-800-877-1600 Ext 4844 or go on line at www.eatright.org.

Many people with cancer may experience weight loss, not only from inadequate energy intake, but sometimes also from increased metabolism associated with the disease. Although influenced by age, sex, body size and activity level, the dietary reference intake for energy is in the neighborhood of 2000-2500 calories per day for healthy adults.¹ A recent study in patients with solid tumor cancers found about half the subjects burning calories at a rate 10% above that expected.² In simple terms, this may mean an additional 250+ calories a day may be needed to halt weight loss. Add that to an extra 500 calories a day (on average) needed above maintenance requirements to gain weight, and that's a lot of calories!

Nutritional supplements typically provide calories, protein or a combination of the two. Resource^® Benecalorie provides some protein, but is mainly a source of energy in the form of calories. Each 1.5 oz cup provides a whopping 330 calories to stave off fatigue and meet calorie needs..

Having enough energy in the form of calories is also vital for sparing protein foods to maintain your muscle mass. Foods which make good sources of high quality protein are milk, eggs, cheese, meat, fish/seafood and poultry. When intake of protein falls short from foods, for example, when only a couple of small bites of pork chop or burger can be made to go down, Resource^® Beneprotein may be a good way to supplement intake. Each scoop or packet provides nearly an ounce of 100% whey (milk) protein in a lactose-free format.

Resource^® Benecalorie and Resource^® Beneprotein are nutritional supplements generally mixed into regular foods. As with all nutritional supplements, there is a limit to the amount an individual can or will consume. If a person using one or both of these products falls short of the nutritional intake needed, there are other options from Nestlé HealthCare Nutrition which provide supplemental calories and protein in a single product, i.e. Boost^® Plus, Boost^® High Protein, Boost^® Smoothie and Resource^® Breeze.

A special note about Impact Advanced Recovery^™. It too provides supplemental calories and protein, but is specifically designed for use prior to cancer surgery. The addition of immuno-nutrients (arginine, omega-3 fatty acids and nucleotides) are associated with improved outcomes in clinical trials with patients undergoing major elective surgery, i.e. fewer post-operative infections and shorter hospital stays.^3,4 However, the immune support benefits of Impact Advanced Recovery may not be appropriate during active cancer treatment with chemotherapy or radiation.

1. Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine, National Academies, 2002.
2. Bosaeus I, Daneryd P, Svanberg E, Lundholm K. Dietary intake and resting energy expenditure in relation to weight loss in unselected cancer patients. International Journal of Cancer 2001; 93(3):380-383.
3. Braga M, Gianotti L et al .Preoperative oral arginine and n-3 fatty acid supplementation improves the immunometabolic host response and outcome after colorectal resection for cancer. Surgery 2002; 132:805-814.
4. Braga M, Gianotti L, Nespoli L et al. Nutritional Approach in Malnourished Surgical Patients: a prospective randomized study. Archives of Surgery 2002; 137(2):174-180.

Our resident nutrition
experts are here with
answers to many of your questions.

Blog Posts

Can I take two or more products at the same time?

I experience bitter taste eating all foods. Is there anything I can do?

Welcome to Ask the Expert Blog