Nutrition Management as Cancer Therapy
The most commonly referenced and least controversial alternative or complementary approach to cancer treatment is to eat the right foods. It is accepted within most conventional medical circles that a diet high in phytonutrients, isothiocyanates, dietary fiber, and Omega-3 fatty acids is important in preventing cancer. These properties are found n the general categories of fruits, green leafy vegetables, cabbage, cauliflower, beans, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and oily fish. Although accepted as helping to prevent cancer, the effectiveness of such foods in cancer treatment is still a controversial issue among conventional oncologists. If it helps prevent cancer, isn’t it worth exploring the effect of such a diet on existing cancers? Should a moderate diet, rich in anti-cancer nutrients that health professionals recommend to prevent cancer, not be considered for a more aggressive, therapeutic program for those that already have cancer? Yet, controlled clinical trials of radical therapeutic diets are not being done in mainstream medicine.
The government’s National Cancer Institute estimates that 35% or more of all cancers have a nutritional connection. Furthermore, the NCI says an astounding 20% to 40% of cancer patients die from causes related to malnutrition, not from the cancer itself, and 80% have some form of clinical malnutrition. Unfortunately, conventional medical advice commonly suggests that patients eat whatever they want. Following this advice can actually feed the patients’ cancer, promote their malnutrition, and contribute to their inability to tolerate treatment. If the malnutrition is not addressed, it can cause “cachexia,” a syndrome that compromises immunity, produces weakness, and causes loss of weight, fat, and muscle.
Very few oncologists are trained in nutrition. Very few nutritionists are trained to advise cancer patients. Integrative oncologists are trained to include nutrition counseling as a complement to any conventional therapy. It is part of the overall therapy. The right dietary regimen is essential to the effectiveness of conventional therapy, to the body’s natural ability to fight the disease, and to the patient’s ability to tolerate the conventional therapy. We must pursue a new strategy of integrative oncology if the war on cancer is to be won. Research and practice of nutrition management is a vital piece of that strategy.