Nausea and vomiting are the most common side effects of chemotherapy. They must be managed because they can increase the risk of malnutrition in patients, which can adversely affect treatment. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of ginger supplementation as an adjuvant treatment for alleviating chemo We checked. therapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). This study searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) related to ginger supplement intake for CINV in three electronic databases (i.e., Medline (PubMed), Embase, and Web of Science). The search period ranged from each database’s first date of service to 5 November 2021. Two investigators independently performed abstract screenings, full-text screenings, data extraction, and risk of bias analyses (ROB). The Cochrane ROB tool was used for the assessment of ROB. This study systematically reviewed 23 RCTs. The effects of ginger supplementation were compared to those of placebo or antiemetic agents. This study conducted a meta-analysis after classifying the effects of ginger supplementation on acute and delayed CINV into subgroups due to the clinical heterogeneity between these RCTs. The results showed that the incidence of acute nausea (p = 0.53), the incidence of delayed nausea (p = 0.31), the incidence of acute vomiting (p = 0.09), and the incidence of delayed vomiting (p = 0.89) were not significantly different between the ginger supplement intake group and the control group. However, it was found that the ginger supplement intake group, which took not more than 1 g of ginger supplementation per day for above four days, had significantly less acute vomiting than the control group (OR 0.30; 95% CI 0.12 to 0.79; p = 0.02; I2 = 36%). Ginger supplementation may reduce the incidence of acute chemotherapy-induced vomiting. However, this study could not confirm the effects of ginger supplementation on the incidence of chemotherapy-induced nausea and delayed vomiting. Therefore, it will be necessary to conduct additional studies with sufficient sample sizes using high-quality RCTs to evaluate the effects of ginger supplementations based on the results of this study.

Patients with cancer need to maintain proper nutritional status to overcome cancer, alleviate the side effects of chemotherapy, and prevent a recurrence. As such, it is necessary to manage nutritional status. This study aimed to develop a dish-based semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) to evaluate the nutritional status of patients with cancer and assess the validity of the FFQ. A total of 109 dish items were selected through contribution and variability analyses using the 2016–2018 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data. The FFQ was validated against the average 3-day dietary records of 100 patients with cancer. Pearson correlation coefficients and quartile agreements between FFQ and 3-day dietary records were calculated for intake of energy, macronutrients, and micronutrients. Age and energy-adjusted Pearson correlation coefficients ranged from 0.20 (iron) to 0.54 (potassium). The percentage of participants who were classified into the same or adjacent quartile between the FFQ and the 3-day dietary record ranged from 68% (protein) to 81% (energy, dietary fiber). The results suggest that the FFQ is an appropriate tool for assessing nutritional status in Korean cancer patients.

Background: Seaweed consumption is a major source of dietary iodine in Korea, particularly among lactating women during the postpartum period. This practice raises concerns regarding short-term iodine excess and its potential effects on thyroid function. We examined the prevalence of thyroid disease and hormone abnormalities 1 year after childbirth among postpartum women with varying levels of seaweed-derived iodine intake. Methods: Between 17 July 2021 and 10 December 2021, 147 postpartum women were enrolled within two weeks after childbirth at postpartum care centers in Korea, which provide structured residential maternal and infant care, including standardized meals, during the early postpartum period. Participants provided informed consent and completed baseline questionnaires and dietary assessments. Iodine intake, including seaweed soup consumption during the 8-week postpartum period, and infant growth indicators were evaluated. A total of 81 participants completed the 1-year follow-up. At follow-up, dietary records, thyroid disease prevalence, hormone levels, urinary iodine concentration, and infant growth indicators were assessed. Results: At 1 year, none of the 81 participants had thyroid disease. The prevalence of abnormal triiodothyronine (T3), free thyroxine (FT4), and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) was analyzed by iodine-intake quartiles, revealing no significant differences (T3: p = 0.4175; FT4: p = 0.1591; TSH: p = 0.9344). Conclusions: These findings suggest that the evidence regarding an association between short-term postpartum iodine intake and thyroid outcomes one year after childbirth remains inconclusive. Owing to the limited sample size, high attrition, and observational design, the study may have been underpowered to detect clinically meaningful differences, and potential effects cannot be excluded. Therefore, these results should be interpreted cautiously, and larger, well-designed longitudinal studies with repeated thyroid assessments are needed to better clarify the long-term implications of postpartum iodine exposure.