Warning: language.
Cancer is big business.
I know that’s off-putting, but it’s true, and it’s really sad.
All you need to do is speak to someone who is suffering from the disease, or search ‘cancer and diet’ online to know that there are a ton of cancer nutrition-related websites spewing the worst sort of ‘you’ll be cured!’ garbage and some ‘doctors’, naturopaths, and ‘nutritionists’ (NOT ALL OF THEM) who upchuck grossly inaccurate and wrong information to a highly vulnerable set of people.
If there’s one thing that infuriates me, it’s when jerks make money off of people who are vulnerable and desperate.
I, thank god, have never had cancer, but I just lost a friend and a parent to it, and I have treated hundreds of people in treatment for it. I completely understand the drive to try every niche treatment available to see if it works, and I probably would too.
My issue is not with that – you need to do what you need to do. I take issue with the people who think it’s okay to sell complete bullshit as though it’s ‘proven by research’, which at the very least isn’t helpful and at the very worst, dangerous.
Some of these ‘professionals’ feel that it’s okay to convince people to forgo chemo and legit treatments in favour of diet-based ‘cures’, plus crazy expensive supplements and treatments, and that is never okay.
It’s important for me to tell you that I 1000% support your right to use alternative therapies. But when those therapies are sold using untruths and false hopes and claims, I don’t think that’s fair or right, and you have a right to know the truth. I understand that this is all very sensitive, but you need information to make important decisions, and that’s why I’m writing this post.
Nutrition Myths Surrounding Cancer
The same people who have a cure for cancer to sell, often perpetuate the following nutrition myths. Here are the top six.
Sugar feeds cancer.
This is the number one cancer nutrition myth by far.
In layman’s terms, one way to describe cancer is cells that are growing out of control.
The theory behind the ‘sugar feeds cancer’ myth is that rapidly-multiplying cancer cells consume more glucose than non-cancer cells. All of our cells, including healthy ones, use glucose for energy to grow and multiply. Whether the sugar we consume is natural or added, our cells use it for energy, but it doesn’t make cancer cells grow any faster or any more numerous.
It’s therefore completely false that cutting sugar out of your diet will ‘starve cancer’, and there is zero evidence for it doing so. If you’re being treated for cancer, the last thing you need is to cut healthy foods from your diet, especially if some of those foods are things you can tolerate.
I want to put this one to rest right now. You can’t starve cancer cells by removing sugar from your diet. Nobody in the world has ever cured their cancer simply by cutting out sugar.
A diet high in sugar isn’t the healthiest for anyone, cancer or not – but taking sugars – natural and otherwise – completely out of your diet (and feeling guilty for consuming them) may mean that you’re limiting your nutrient intake when you need it most.
A diet high in added sugars is thought to increase risk of cancer, and so is being overweight – so eating less refined carbs and more low-glycemic, high-fiber grains, legumes, and vegetables is always your best bet. Even though those foods contain natural sugars, they’re full of antioxidants and nutrition a definitely deserve a place in anyone’s diet.
Alkaline diets cure or prevent cancer.
Sigh.
I argued with far too many people about this after I posted my article on alkaline diets.
This myth is based on the fact that at some point, cancer cells in a dish in a lab appeared to grow well in an acidic environment. That’s basically all I have for you, because:
- You are not a petri dish
- Nothing you eat can change the pH of your blood or tissues. Our lungs and kidneys tightly regulate the pH of our bodies, and if they didn’t, you would die from eating pretty much anything.
- The only way to change the pH of your blood or tissues is to hyperventilate or vomit uncontrollably. No thanks.
- The Alkaline diet, therefore, is bullshit. And it doesn’t cure or prevent cancer on its own. Please don’t fall prey to that sort of malarkey.
The foods on the alkaline diet are healthy, but I’d hate for you to cut out ‘acidic’ foods that are also healthy, for no good reason. Please don’t.
High dose Vitamin C kills cancer.
There are some naturopaths who will have you believe that high dose vitamin C can cure your cancer. (I quote directly from one of their websites: “did you know that vitamin C can wipe out cancer cells? This outstanding fact has been proved in countless studies”)
This is completely false, but that doesn’t stop people from lying about it to make money, and yes I confronted that particular person about their claims, because I can’t hold my fire.
Stuff like that infuriates me.
The actual truth is that high dose vitamin C, combined with other cancer medications/chemotherapy, may have a positive effect in some people. Results are mixed, and some of the studies are very small (also: I don’t take rodent or in vitro studies into account. Killing cancer cells in a rodent or a lab dish is very different from killing them in a human).
Some studies found that high dose vitamin C helped alleviate some side effects of cancer treatment; others found that it didn’t.
The risk for high dose vitamin C appears to be low for most people, but can cause issues with certain populations such as people with kidney disease or hemochromatosis. It can also interact with some cancer drugs, so as with anything, you should alert your doctor and pharmacist before taking it.
Also, it appears as though an intravenous infusion is far more effective versus a bag or oranges or some vitamin C pills.
The Ketogenic diet cures cancer.
If you search ‘keto diet and cancer’, you’ll find trashy websites like one called ‘The Truth About Cancer’, which unfortunately deals in everything BUT the truth, and promotes the ketogenic diet as if it’s a cancer-killing miracle. They also subscribe to the ‘sugar feeds cancer’ myth, so shocking, I know.
The ketogenic diet has shown some promise, in conjunction with conventional cancer therapies, in brain cancer patients with gliomas. It’s not because this no-sugar diet ‘starves the tumor’. In fact, some rodent studies suggested that ketones may have anti-anti-tumor properties.
In people, there are preliminary studies that show that the ketogenic diet may have value in conjunction with conventional treatments for brain cancer.
But if you’re having side-effects from treatment and are losing weight already, it’s probably a bad idea to further limit what you can consume.
The diet can also be difficult for people to stick to, at least long-term.
Coffee enemas.
There is absolutely no reason to put coffee anywhere but your mouth. I’m not sure why this treatment is even used at all, because there is no evidence of it curing..or helping..anyone.
Cancer UK states about this treatment, “The enemas (are meant to) cleanse the bowel. Therapists believe this removes toxins from the body by stimulating the bowel, liver and bile ducts. They claim that if your body is free from toxins, it will be able to recognize and kill cancer cells.”
I don’t even know what to say, but this statement makes me literally want to punch a wall. It’s blatantly untrue and a complete sham.
Raw foods and juices.
A cancer ‘treatment’ program called Gerson Therapy utilizes coffee enemas and raw fruit, vegetables, and juices. I find it strange that one group of people promotes a ketogenic diet, another group says sugar feeds cancer, and then you have the people who believe that sugar-rich juices and raw fruits cures cancer.
A diet full of fruits and vegetables is something I can always promote. But one that consists of mainly those things, while you’re in treatment and need to optimize your calorie intake, isn’t a good idea. Aside from that, there is absolutely zero research behind this program.
What to actually eat during treatment.
Please don’t gamble with your health. Cancer treatment can cause all sorts of side effects that can dramatically and detrimentally affect your nutrition and health. If you’re having side effects like nausea, taste changes, sores in your mouth, and/or no energy, choosing the ‘right’ foods can be downright exhausting. This isn’t the time to try and be ‘perfect’ (which I never recommend, anyhow); do your best, even if your best isn’t all that great.
People with cancer need optimal nutrition. And while in a perfect world I would promote the most ‘healthy’ foods, sometimes all someone can tolerate is ice cream, or milkshakes, or Mars bars. And that’s okay, because if it’s a choice between eating nothing and eating a chocolate bar, I’m going to recommend the chocolate bar.
Taking in adequate calories as often as you can trumps forcing yourself to choke down raw carrots if you can’t even stomach the idea. Forget it.
As far as supplements go, if you have the energy, make your own protein shakes instead of going for the Ensure or Boost. That way, you’ll have control over what goes in them. Sometimes people don’t have the energy to make their own shakes, and that’s okay too. Do whatever is easiest for you.
There is no one food that is going to make or break your diet with cancer, so try to choose good quality foods when you can – lots of proteins, brightly coloured fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats. Eat when you can. If you know you’ll be sick during your treatment weeks, then try to front load your diet before then so at least you’ll have a head start on your nutrition.
Nutrition matters, yes.
But so does your emotional wellbeing, so don’t be too hard on yourself.
Here are Some Red Flags to Watch for When Looking for Information about Nutrition and Cancer
‘Natural cures’ are better: Again, while I support your freedom to choose alternative therapies for cancer, I encourage you to work with your doctor, not behind their back, when going for anything ‘natural’ – even when it’s in conjunction with conventional therapies. Nothing ‘natural’ has been proven to cure cancer, no matter how many of you are going to email me and tell me I’m wrong.
Curing cancer is tough business, and if your doctor recommends chemo, please don’t turn away from that in favour of something weaker. Please don’t. You need to fight this with everything you have. Chemo is toxic, yes – to cancer cells.
Because of that, it can save your life. Don’t fall prey to the ‘chemo is toxic, take these herbs instead for your cancer’ sales pitch. Anyone offering that is a charlatan of epic levels.
Beware of absolute statements like ‘ this X is cancer killing’ and ‘this X will cure your cancer’: If that was true, nobody would have cancer. Really. If killing cancer was as simple as infusing baking soda into your blood, people wouldn’t be suffering right now.
Absolute statements that promise a cure are disingenuous, as nobody can predict how individuals will react to treatments – even conventional ones, but especially to alternative ones that have extremely low/no cure rates. There will always be spontaneous remissions, but they are unlikely to be connected to any ‘natural’ cures.
Do not get your information from YouTube: It’s like a dirty cesspool of misinformation. Even if someone looks legit, they may not be.
Big Pharma conspiracy theories: Big Pharma isn’t out to ‘hide’ the cure for cancer so they can make money off of us. Do you not think that 1. people who work in pharma get cancer/have loved ones who get cancer? and 2. trust me that when someone in pharma invents the cure for cancer, they’re going to make a hell of a lot more money off of that than they do with cancer treatment drugs. When someone starts with their ‘big pharma’ conspiracy theories, they immediately lose all credibility with me.
Cancer is an ugly demon. Fight it smart, and fight it hard.
Abby