Common nutritional questions about cancer patients.❓❓❓

Nutritional issues are a very important issue for every cancer patient as well as for clinicians. It can affect the effect of cancer treatment. However, how to take nutrition for cancer patients, and how to take nutrition for cancer patients with other diseases will confuse patients. Most cancer patients and their families are affected by rumors or misunderstandings. It will make them fall into various dietary mistakes. This leads to a series of problems such as insufficient nutrient intake, low quality and nutritional imbalance. It leads to aggravation of malnutrition, reduced quality of life and even survival time. The followings are answers to some common cancer diet questions. 

Do anticancer foods really work?

There is currently no evidence that a single food can cure or prevent cancer. During treatment, many patients and their families search the Internet for various anti-cancer foods, such as garlic, blueberries, and green tea. They would expect to rely on these foods for the purpose of treating cancer. Although there are some foods have high levels of natural anticancer ingredients, such as some phytochemicals, none of them are guaranteed to prevent or treat cancer. If the patient consumes an excessive single anticancer food, the diversity of food intake may be affected. It can cause reduced intake of other essential nutrients and lead to nutritional imbalances. Therefore, in order to reduce the risk of cancer or achieve the effect of cancer treatment, it is best to focus on developing long-term healthy eating habits. It should be a balanced diet, more exercise and no smoking.

Can low intake of nutrients kill tumor cells?

Some people think that tumor cells need to absorb nutrients just like normal cells. Therefore, as long as you reduce your nutrient intake, you can also kill tumor cells. However, there is no evidence that intaking nutrients will promotes the growth of tumor cell. Instead, when you are undernourished, tumor cells rob the nutrients of normal cells. They even break down human muscle cells and protein to supplement nutrients. In the end, only the patient and not the tumor cells are killed.

Can patients eat fried or grilled food during cancer treatment?

People who are recovering from cancer should not eat fried or grilled food. Healthy people should also not eat these foods too much. Frying and grilling typically involve high temperatures in excess of 200 degrees. High temperature can cause fat to generate free radicals and form carcinogens such as benzopyrenes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Starches form acrylamides. Proteins can form strong carcinogens such as heterocyclic amines. They all cause cancer.

Can soup supplement more nutritious?

Many people think that soup is full of nutrients. But in fact, the nutrition of soup is only 5-10% of the raw materials and most of it is fat and some vitamins and minerals. Most of the nutrients (especially protein) are left in the residues from soup. It is recommended to eat the soup with the residues if you want to intake more nutrients.

Can cancer patients intake sugar?

Cancer patients can eat sugar. All cells in the body need sugar for energy. Tumor cells proliferate more rapidly than normal cells. They have a greater need for sugar. Therefore, some people believe that eating too much sugar will provide nutrients to tumor cells and promote them grow rapidly. But this idea is wrong. In fact, as long as the intake is reasonable, cancer patients can consume sugar. A 2009 recommendation by the American Cancer Institute that cancer patients should limit their intake of refined sugars. Female patients should not exceed 25 grams per day. Male patients should not exceed 38 grams per day.

Can eating more vitamins and other health products help treat cancer?

In a balanced diet, a variety of vitamins and minerals will be ingested. Patients do not need to supplement vitamins additional. However, if a cancer patient has a decreased appetite or an unbalanced diet, the patient can take vitamin supplements after evaluation by a professional. If patients rely on supplemental vitamins, it may cause them to reduce their intake of whole foods, such as vegetables and fruits, and thus reduced intaking of other nutrients in these foods.

Is it good for cancer patients to eat more Cordyceps sinensis, ginseng and Ganoderma lucidum?

Due to lack of nutritional knowledge, cancer patients often think that precious medicinal materials such as Cordyceps sinensis, Ganoderma lucidum, ginseng, and bird's nest can help treat cancer. In fact, patients should not pursue the immune effect of a certain food too much, nor should they rely too much on these precious medicinal materials. A balanced diet and comprehensive nutritional supplements are a good way to improve the overall immunity.

Is it recommended to eat vegetables raw or cooked?

There are studies about the raw or cooked vegetables with the risk of cancer. These studies found that raw or cooked vegetables both are low risk of cancer, but raw vegetables have a stronger relation with low risk of cancer. However, if the patients can not tolerant to raw vegetables, they should eat cooked vegetables.

Is organic food healthier than regular food?

Organic food is not healthier than regular food. Organic food refers to food grown on uncontaminated land without pesticides or herbicides. There are many reasons why people choose organic food. However, no studies have shown that there is a significant difference in the nutrient content of organic food and ordinary food. There is also no evidence that organic food reduces cancer risk more than regular food. Although organic foods may be safer than regular foods, there are some foods labeled organic, such as organic cookies, organic potato chips and other snacks, which have the exact same calorie, fat, sugar and other content as regular foods. Therefore, patients should not blindly think that organic food is healthy food.