Objective:

To analyze existing literature on nutrition and its impact on QoL in brain tumor patients.

Background:

Nutrition plays a significant role in quality of life (QoL); however, information regarding the effects of nutritional interventions for brain tumors patients is limited.

Design/Methods:

Using PubMed database in July 2025, this review identified original studies written in English using the keywords: nutrition, brain cancer, QoL, and diet. Using ChatGPT5 prompts: “I’m looking for journal articles and clinical trials with brain cancer, nutrition, quality of life” in July 2025 and “I’m looking for research articles assessing quality of life in brain tumor patients on ketogenic diet” in December 2025, additional articles were identified. Studies investigating the implementation of nutritional interventions (specific diets, supplements) and effects on QoL in brain tumor patients of all ages were included. Reviews were not included, but original articles cited within were. Articles were reviewed by the authors for selection. A total of twelve articles pertaining to eleven studies were identified.

Results:

Nine studies focused on the utilization of ketogenic diets (KD). One study pertained to protein supplementation, and another discussed enteral and parental nutrition. Six studies reported positive effects on QoL, three reported no significance, and one reported a negative effect. One study had mixed results of a positive effect in one area and no significance in another. Universal conclusions on QoL were limited since many studies had small sample sizes, lacked control subjects, and utilized self-reporting rather than standardized assessment tools.

Conclusions:

The evidence regarding the effect of KD on QoL in brain tumor patients is encouraging but limited. Data regarding the impact of other dietary interventions is insufficient to draw conclusions. Additional research is necessary. Future studies should consider (1) increasing recruitment to yield larger sample sizes, (2) standardizing nutritional interventions, (3) utilizing control subjects, and (4) utilizing standardized assessment tools.