Diet and Supplements Introduction

Questions about diet and supplements are some of the commonest we are asked in clinic.  This is probably partly because there are so many claims out there for the benefits of different diets and the tantalising thought that if only we could do something as simple as change what we eat or take a few different vitamins, we could reverse our cancer.
The result is a lot of confusion and anxiety.
The medical community (us) are partly to blame too.  Every week it seems there are different recommendations for what is good or not good to eat.  What you should eat more of or less of to avoid getting cancer and other conditions.

So, here are some simple rules of thumb that may help you make sense of all of this.

1. There is no evidence, sorry to say, that any special anti-cancer diet is a secret cure for cancer.  Many of them are quite unpalatable and some frankly unhealthy and following them can have a bad effect on quality of life and possibly undermine your health.  We will try to go through some of the common ones that are promoted (possibly by well-intentioned people),
2. At the same time, many of us are not eating a health diet are there may be room for improvement.  While these changes may not be as dramatic as some of the diets you will hear of, they can help your physical and mental well-being and this can be important in having the best quality of life and survival.
3. Top of the list for many patients who are affected by weight loss due to their cancer or the medical treatment they have had, is to ensure that they are getting enough energy (calories) in their diet each day.  This may require food fortification and thoughts of healthy ingredients have to come second to this primary goal.
4. If weight loss is not your problem and in fact you feel you could be healthier and happier at a lower weight, you need to be careful about how you might go about weight loss.  Careful weight loss may be helpful in some patients and we will give some help and advice if this is something you want to consider.
5. What we have said under item 1 about diets, can also probably be said about supplements (which means taking extra doses of vitamins and minerals usually in tablet form).
6. That being said, for some patients supplements can be necessary - particularly those not eating well due to problems with appetite etc.  Also, there are some vitamins that many of us lack.  Your doctor can help in checking if you are short on any of the common vitamins and minerals and, in that case, obviously having a supplement is a good idea.