I would think it’s similar to pickles when you’re pregnant. The vinegar helps settle your stomach when you’re nauseous. My mom was often nauseous during her chemo.

Though I’ve also heard that you’re supposed to not eat pickled foods with certain types of cancer. Hopefully your friend doesn’t have stomach cancer?

Like @raum said, some food just seems to settle your stomach better, and these foods often seem more acidic or at least sharper in taste. There were times years ago when I was sick and in the hospital, and then I ate some pineapple and it really seemed to help. Does that mean pineapple has some miraculous curative power? I don’t think so although it is good for you. But I do think it was similar to the pickles in this case.

Sounds like the salt is helpful. Maybe his electrolytes are out of whack or he’s dehydrated otherwise. Might help increase his BP too.

Low salt, low BP, low water, all can make people feel weak and or nauseous.

It may depend on what the actual drugs are. “Chemotherapy” is an umbrella term for over a hundred different drug protocols, involving very different chemical (and often heavy metal) compounds. It was explained to me that the cravings can be like pregnancy cravings, your body may think it needs something, and to find anyway to get any calories into your body that you can.

I hope this person recovers, chemo is brutal, recovering from the treatment can be as daunting as recovering from the cancer itself.

@raum It’s the salt in pregnancy. Pregnant women have increased blood volume and also sometimes are hotter so they sweat off more water. If they don’t keep up with taking in fluids they get dehydrated easier than when they weren’t pregnant. The salt helps them hold onto the water in their body. Saltines, pickles, pretzels, soup.

The chemo I’m just guessing it’s similar, but might be something different.

Many people take sour to help avert nausea feeling.
Lemon in your water or Ginger crystals work for some.

My guess is the electrolytes the pickle provides. Chemo is basically poison. It is generally designed to target specific cells, but since it is in the entire body it can impact many parts. I’m guessing that it could impact the electrolytes in your body, removing them from the normal use. Adding the sugar/salt from the pickle brine to your body would help with that.

Not sure there’s any real science to it. For me it was strawberries or smoothies. Anything else was a struggle. Weirdly, I couldn’t tolerate the smell of coffee and chocolate for many months after after treatment ended,

@kruger_d, I couldn’t do coffee or chocolate either! And damn, I missed the coffee!

I dont know but it is very common for people on chemo to enjoy vinegary food.