SPECIAL BEER FOR CHEMOTHERAPY PATIENTS!

Mamma beer is alcohol-free!

For chemotherapy patients, the phase can be a big trouble. Common side effects of chemotherapy include weakness, nausea, hair loss and cognitive decline. But one phrase called dysgeusia which means “chemo mouth,” is  a phenomenon that causes food to taste bland, bitter, metallic or simply disgusting. It is the kind of side effect for which many people aren't prepared for! To combat this unappetizing side effect, an effort of Czech brewery has crafted a beer especially for breast cancer patients undergoing chemo.

The idea for the beer came from two breast cancer survivors—Jana Drexelerova, the CEO of Prague-based advocacy group Mamma Help, and Tereza Sverakova, who works at the ad agency Y&R.

The brew, made in partnership with the Žatec brewery and breast cancer advocacy group Mamma Help, with the help of advertising agency Y&R Prague, is aimed at those battling breast cancer, but could be beneficial to anyone undergoing chemotherapy. One could just imagine having a bland taste on tongue for a longer period of time and not even enjoying delicious cuisines too!

"After chemotherapy, everything tasted like sand," says the breast cancer survivor . "When I finally got my appetite back, all I could eat was cold tomato soup, and even that was flavorless."

“Chemotherapy is tough, and one of the side effects that many people are not aware of is a loss of taste. Everything tastes horrible, like metal.”

To overcome this problem of patients, the idea of beer appears to be amazing!

Knowing more about Mamma beer:

Hops, which are generally the flowers which are responsible for imparting beer with most of its aroma and bitterness. These hops are used in lesser quantities, in Czech breweries mamma beer. As a result, it tastes sweeter.  As in the case of dysgeusia, because everything tastes overly bitterly in it, Mamma beer  is brewed especially for this purpose. Adding some more positive points to it, it is fortified with Vitamin B and potassium, since radiations can cause a loss of appetite, leading to lower nutrient intake. The beer is sweeter and less of a bitter taste than usual beer. It is non - alcoholic and cut with apple juice to make it more sweet.

So far, it has been distributed to oncology wards and pharmacies across the Czech Republic and served at several beer and food shows across Europe.

- Rhythm Bhardwaj