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Healthful Diets for Cancer Patients

There is often speculation in the medical community and elsewhere about the link between diet and cancer. While certain foods are said to reduce survival rates in cancer patients, other foods are said to potentially increase the chances of survival or even help cure cancer. However, there is little medical evidence to support either of these claims conclusively.

  1. Diets as a Form of Treatment

    • Nutrition MD states that there is no clear proven link between a certain diet and a higher recovery rate from cancer. Because many causes of cancer are unknown and it is not certain why cancer develops, eating certain foods or refraining from certain foods seems to have little to no effect. However, avoiding foods that are likely to encourage the growth of cancer may be helpful. Nutrition MD suggests that certain unhealthy goods, like foods high in protein, fat and sugar, may cause a tumor to grow and adversely affect cancer treatment. Thus, a healthy diet for cancer patients should focus more on avoiding unhealthy foods than on eating any specific healthy ones.

    Theraputic Diets

    • Therapeutic diets, or specific diet regimes, are not shown to help cure cancer. However, a therapeutic diet may have a positive impact on the body's ability to withstand cancer treatment. Certain treatments, like radiation, can cause adverse side effects. When patients are receiving radiation, a condition called enterisis can develop in the intestines. The National Cancer Institute recommends that patients undergoing radiation therapy eat a diet high in fiber and low in fruit and lactose, in order to lower the risk of enterisis. In addition, other negative side effects caused by cancer treatments may be affected by things you consume. For example, eating ice chips and glutamine (an amino acid) may help prevent mouth sores associated with chemotherapy treatment. Specific recommendations may vary depending on the type of cancer or your treatment, so you should discuss any concerns with your doctor.

    Cancer Treatments and Diet

    • One large problem cancer patients experience when it comes to eating a healthy diet is a decrease in appetite. Many treatments, including chemotherapy, cause you to lose your appetite and/or feel nauseated and sick. However, although you may not feel like eating, it is essential to maintain proper nutrition. The University of California Medical Center suggests trying to eat small portions regularly, rather than attempting to eat a lot at once. Bland foods are also advised, including cream of wheat, eggs, cottage cheese and plain crackers. Cold foods are also advised rather than hot ones, including jello and fruit. Greasy and spicy foods should be avoided, and although patients should drink a lot of cold, clear beverages, they should not drink with meals. Finally, patients should avoid lying down after eating, as this can make symptoms worse.

    Alternative Nutrition Sources

    • For many cancer patients, eating enough is simply too difficult, even with the recommendations listed above. Often, it is useful to use a liquid or powdered meal replacement to ensure your body is getting the nutrients it needs. These meal replacements are sold in grocery stores, but smoothies or milkshakes can also be made at home.

    Advanced Cancer and Diets

    • Diet for end-stage cancer patients is usually a source of great distress. Patients nearing the end of their lives are generally unable to eat. At this time, they are usually placed under the care of a physician, who offers an IV supplement to provide the nutrition the body needs. Encouraging end-stage cancer patients to eat, or trying to force food on them, can actually add to the patient's discomfort.

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