(CIPN) – one of the most challenging and long-lasting side effects of cancer treatment.
Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is one of the most challenging and long-lasting side effects of cancer treatment. Patients often describe tingling, numbness, burning, or electric-shock sensations that persist long after treatment has ended. This unfortunate symptom is one that my patients find reduces their quality of life, even after the cancer has gone.
For years, patients have been told, “Diet won’t make a difference, so you should eat whatever you want!”
Common sense tells us that diet does make an incredible difference. When it comes to CIPN, emerging research suggests that dietary patterns may influence nerve health, not as a cure, not as a replacement for treatment, but as a modifiable lifestyle factor worth studying.
What the Research Shows (So Far)
1. The (Knoerl et al., 2024) Study
This is one of the few intervention-style studies specifically examining diet and CIPN in cancer survivors; participants who adopted a higher-quality dietary pattern experienced improvements in CIPN symptoms over time.
Here’s what the study found: foods associated with worse CIPN outcomes
The authors suggested thatdietary choices may influence inflammation, oxidative stress, and nerve recovery, though the study also acknowledged significant limitations, including small sample size and lack of randomisation. This should not discount the research; instead, it should be taken as a step in the right direction, with a focus on a healthy diet being of paramount importance in Oncology.
2. (Miller et al., 2025) Dietary Patterns and CIPN
Miller & Zick’s earlier work similarly observed that healthier dietary patterns were associated with fewer neuropathy symptoms in breast cancer survivors. This was an observational study, but consistent with the 2024 findings of the Knoerl study.
Their analysis showed that a higher intake of refined grains (e.g., white bread, refined pasta, processed grains) was associated with about double the odds of having CIPN.
Each additional serving of refined grains was also linked to increased severity of CIPN (i.e., worse symptoms).
On the other hand, higher intake of fish, eggs, poultry, legumes, and selenium (a micronutrient) was associated with lower odds of CIPN or less severe neuropathy.
In another outcome, overall diet quality (as measured by a standard index) was slightly better among those without CIPN than among those with CIPN.
Participants with CIPN also had higher carbohydrate intake than those without CIPN.
What This Means
While the evidence is not yet strong enough to make clinical claims, these studies point toward the same idea: Diet may play a supportive role in long-term nerve health after chemotherapy.
No single food, supplement, or diet prevents or cures CIPN. But the research does show meaningful signals that dietary quality may influence inflammation, nerve repair, and overall recovery.
This strengthens the case for more interventional research, something the field urgently needs.
Knoerl, R., Ploutz-Snyder, R., Smener, L., Tofthagen, C., & Zick, S. (2024). Association of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy with diet quality among post-treatment cancer survivors. Nutrition and Cancer, 76(8), 717–725. https://doi.org/10.1080/01635581.2024.2364389
Miller, K., Zick, S., Ploutz-Snyder, R., Ruiz-Narváez, E. A., & Knoerl, R. (2025). Food groups and micronutrients associated with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy in survivors of cancer post-neurotoxic treatment. Supportive Care in Cancer: Official Journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 33(9), 806. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-025-09827-6
