THE DIETARY HABITS OF PEOPLE WITH THYROID CANCER AND OTHER CHRONIC THYROID DISEASES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32782/pub.health.2026.1.7Keywords:
thyroid cancer, chronic thyroid diseases, dietary habits, follow-up care, medical and rehabilitation managementAbstract
Topicality. Current scientific evidence suggests that dietary habits can influence thyroid function, disease progression, treatment efficacy, and patients’ quality of life.
The purpose of the study was to study the dietary habits of individuals with thyroid cancer and other chronic thyroid diseases as part of the rationale for developing measures to improve the management of medical and rehabilitative care.
Materials and methods. During 2024–2025, patients at the capital’s endocrinology center with thyroid cancer (95) and other chronic thyroid diseases (505), as well as practically healthy individuals (172), were surveyed using an original research protocol.
Research results. It has been found that a significant proportion of individuals with thyroid cancer (TC) and other chronic thyroid diseases (CTD) exhibit unhealthy dietary habits, particularly regarding excessive salt intake (25.3% and 30.1%, respectively), sweets (39.3% and 46.2%) and caffeinated beverages (77.5% and 81.9%), as well as insufficient water intake (26.4% and 29.2%). It was proven that respondents with TC were closest to a healthy diet. Among them, the chances of regular consumption of fatty foods were also 2.2–20.0 times lower (OR=0.16; 95% CI: 0.05–0.45; p < 0.001), 1.9–10.0 times lower for sweet carbonated beverages (0.22; 0.10–0.52; p < 0.001). Among individuals with TC, the probability of regularly including vegetables in their diet was also 1.2–10.8 times higher (3.62; 1.22–10.76; p < 0.05) and 1.4–16.7 times higher for fruits (4.90; 1.43–16.71; p < 0.05). Additional opportunities for modifying dietary habits were identified among individuals with CTD, particularly regarding their 1.2- to 2.8-fold higher consumption of caffeinated beverages (1.82; 1.20–2.75; p < 0.01), as well as a significant prevalence of fatty foods (27.0%) and sweetened carbonated beverages (27.6%) in their diet.
Conclusions. The data obtained will serve as the basis for recommendations on dietary adjustments as part of comprehensive follow-up and rehabilitation for thyroid cancer and other chronic thyroid diseases.
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