CAM
& Life Style >
Diet & Exercise Last
update:
08/24/2010 |
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TOPICS
Diet
| General Guidelines to Support Good Health
and Fitness
Resources | Research News
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Exercise
Diet for Immune Suppressed |
IMPORTANT: These general guidelines do not take into account
individual needs and sensitivities. Please consult with a qualified
medical professional. |
A healthful diet and being physically active can
help the cancer patient achieve a better quality of life and combat the
side effects of treatment. Many cancer patients feel that
taking steps to optimize their survival chances is empowering, and
provides a valuable sense of control.
Your dietary needs can change
depending on your health status and other factors. For example, you may need a
special type of diet to help build up strength and
recover from treatment; or, you may have trouble eating
while receiving chemotherapy. It's
essential that your diet contains a balance of nutrients that promotes the health and
and provides the nutrients needed to maintain or restore good health. Ideally,
you should consult a nutritional expert who has the information about
your specific health, diagnosis, and treatment at hand.
Evidence suggests that life style and diet can influence
the risk
of developing some types of cancers. Therefore, it seems reasonable for the cancer
patient, who is particularly susceptible to developing secondary cancers to
eat well and remain active - to promote general health.
Can
diet influence the progression of lymphomas? Unfortunately, at this time there is no
reliable evidence in animal or human studies that dietary changes can change the course of an existing
lymphoma, or delay a relapse if
some malignant cells that have not been eliminated by treatment. There are plenty of
theories floating on the Internet, but no evidence.
Can diet affect other cancers? Yes, for some cancers, diet appears to have some influence on the growth rate, such as fats on prostate cancer cells, but this is specific to the type of cancer cell. See for example:
Webmd.com (link
fixed),
which dispels the myth that conventional medicine will not provide
such information when the evidence supports it.
It's important to distinguish between diet as a risk factor for lymphomas, versus diet as a therapeutic factor.
While some dietary factors are associated with a modest increased risk of lymphoma (such as red meats),
restricting red meats will not influence the growth rate of an existing
lymphoma. Similarly, if you stop smoking, a lung cancer will not go away, even if caused by smoking.
External factors more likely to influence the growth of lymphoma cells would be antigens (something that doesn't
belong in your body), such as virus, bacteria, auto-immunity ... a chronic antigen
stimulus, that would be impossible with current technologies to identify, and could be unique to each person.
The growth rate of lymphomas is also determined by the genetic defects within the abnormal cells, which can vary
even within the same diagnostic subtype .. which might account for why one follicular lymphoma never needs treatment, and another needs frequent therapy.
Anyhow, if in future a dietary practice is found to limit the growth of lymphomas, it will be big news ... something everyone will be made aware of.
General Life Style and Diet Guidelines
Sources: a variety of publications and nutritional resources posted below.
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Include a variety of plant-based foods in your diet,
including whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. |
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Include healthful fats (omega 3) from fish and other
sources. |
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Include proteins food sources that are lean and
easily digested, such as cold water fish. |
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Include foods such as yogurts, which provide the "friendly" bacteria needed to
develop a healthy gut, which can improve immune function and prevent
mal-absorption. |
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Prepare and store foods safely. |
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Avoid processed foods, and foods that have high sugar
content, hydrogenated fats, and little nutritional value. |
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Avoid or minimize alcohol consumption. |
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Avoid excessive sun and exposure to toxins, such as
cigarette smoke. |
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Maintain a healthy weight, and exercise in
moderation. |
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Remain physically and socially active. |
Questions and issues for your doctor or nutritionist:
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What types of fats should I eat, and which types
should I avoid? |
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Is it okay to each foods high in sugar, and how can I
avoid spiking blood glucose (sugar) levels? |
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What proteins should I eat and how much and in what
quantities? |
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What foods should I eat while receiving treatment? |
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How can I prepare food so that it's safe to eat when
I'm immune compromised? |
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Is it important to identify and avoid food allergens,
especially when I have lymphoma? |
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How can I know if I am digesting my foods properly?
(bloating, diarrhea, constipation, leaky gut, etc.) |
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What nutritional supplements can I take to improve my
health, energy and stamina? |
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What types of exercise can I safely do, and how
often? |
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Is it okay to do strenuous exercise routines? |
Return to top
Resources
DURING TREATMENT:
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Highly recommended:
Nutrition for the Person With Cancer During Treatment
Cancer.org
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Diet for Immune suppressed, overview Lymphomation.org
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PREVENTION and PROMOTING GOOD HEALTH:
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AACR 2005 - Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research
PDF
Research articles on natural compounds that may prevent cancer
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Defending Against Disease With an Anti-Inflammation Lifestyle
brighamandwomens.org
Pdf |
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Food Additives PAL
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Food Allergies information WebMD
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Food Nutrition and the Prevention of Cancer: a global perspective
aicr.org
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Natural sources of fats are essential to good health as described in this excellent presentation to the FDA on food groups submitted by the Weston A. Price Foundation
FDA.gov
PDF |
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FIGHTING CANCER AND TREATMENT EFFECTS:
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"Eating Well Through Cancer"
by Holly Clegg
Amazon.com
Focuses on cancer and nutrition
with a mainstream approach.
Recipes were selected to ease symptoms while undergoing treatment
and to maintain a healthier lifestyle. (We have no affiliations with
the authors.) |
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Early Nutritional Intervention Recommended for
Cancer Patients mdanderson.org
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Weight Loss & Cachexia
PAL
A symptom of
lymphoma progression is weight loss that cannot be explained by
diet. Cachexia, the
loss of lean body mass, is most typically associated with
advanced progression of the disease.
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DIET AS TREATMENT?
Presently, there is no credible published
evidence that diet can influence the clinical course of lymphoma.
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Complementary and alternative (CAM) dietary therapies for cancer.
Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2008 Feb;50(2 Suppl):494-7; discussion 498. Review.
PMID:18064662
Related
articles
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Gerson Diet Therapy?
Report by Concerted Action for
Complementary and
Alternative Medicine Assessment in the Cancer Field
(CAM-Cancer)
Project funded under the European Commission 5th Framework Program
“Quality of Life”. www.cam-cancer.org/mod_product/uploads/gerson.pdf
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Macrobiotic diet? and
cachexia medicine.wustl.edu
A symptom of lymphoma progression is
weight loss that cannot be explained by diet. Cachexia,
the loss of lean body mass, is
most typically associated with advanced progression of the
disease. |
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Sugar restriction? PAL
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Research News
Diet & Nutrition
Links to resources with answers to the questions above
can be found here.
Return to top
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RESEARCH NEWS
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Home Diet and Exercise May Benefit Long-Term Cancer Survivors oncologystat.com
A home-based diet and exercise program reduced the rate
of functional decline in a study of more than 600 overweight and older
cancer survivors, according to a report in the May 13 issue of
JAMA.
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Fatigue: Physical Exercise May
Help Reduce Fatigue During and After Cancer Treatment Medscape
"Exercise appears to have some benefit in the management
of fatigue both during and after cancer treatment," the
reviewers conclude. "Therefore it should be considered as one
component of the management strategy for fatigue that may include
a range of other interventions and education. . . . Further work
is necessary to determine the most effective parameters of
exercise for fatigue management including the types of exercise
(aerobic and resistance), mode of exercise, frequency and length
of sessions, and intensity of exercise carried out."
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Performance Status Is the Single Most Important
Prognostic Factor in
Elderly Patients With Lymphoma: Presented at ESMO docguide.com
Dr. Lim said, "Perhaps it is also important what treatment you
administer or what they have, but if they are of good health they will
do well, and if they are of poor health no matter what you do, it
seems that they will not do well."
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Exercise May Reduce Fatigue, Nausea Associated With
Adjuvant Breast Cancer Therapy Medscape
(free login req.)
Although this is about exercise during breast cancer treatment,
thought it interesting -have known several breast cancer pts who were
treated with Cytoxan and adriamycin-(
79% of pts in this study)-- so,
some overlap with some of the chemos used for NHL
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AACR 2005 - Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research
PDF
Many abstracts on cancer prevention
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“Fish
Oil Probably Doesn’t Fight Cancer”
http://thecheerfuloncologist.blogsome.com
Now, there’s a misleading headline if ever I saw one - do they
mean that fish oil is too chicken to put up its dukes against a
cowardly band of sneering, narcissistic cancer cells? Is fish oil
destined to join its comrade laetrile
on the ash heap of ineffective cancer treatments?
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Agricultural Experiment Station has led to a patent
for a new use for derivatives of DIM, or diindolylmethane, a natural
compound derived from certain vegetables, to treat cancer - the
mechanism seems to be inhibition of PPAR-gamma agnews.tamu.edu
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Related item: Human B lymphocytes and B lymphomas
express PPAR-gamma and are killed by PPAR-gamma agonists. Clin
Immunol. 2002 Apr;103(1):22-33.
PMID:
11987982 |
Related
articles |
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Does Catsup Have A Link To Cancer? From our Nutrition
Specialist: umich.edu
Interesting with good general guidance. -KS
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Diet Linked to Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Lots of Meat, Saturated Fat, Dairy May Raise Risk
webmd.com
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Impact
of weight on mortality of patients with lymphoma undergoing autologous
hematopoietic cell transplantation (AHCT) Abstract
No: 3342
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Research Beginning to Reveal Clues About Impact of Diet on Cancer
Survivors, Scientists Say - Survivors, Researchers Share
Knowledge, Concerns at AICR Conference for Nutrition After Cancer aicr.org
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Exercise
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Resources & Research News
Be sure to consult a qualified profession when creating
an exercise plan.
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 TOPIC
SEARCH: PubMed
| Web
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Guidelines Call for Cancer Patients to Get Moving
http://bit.ly/bSoetK
"The primary
objective of prescribing exercise to cancer patients and survivors
is to help them regain and improve physical function, said Dr.
Schmitz of the center for clinical epidemiology and biostatistics at
the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Exercise can also
help improve body image and quality of life for these patients."
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Lymphoma
Patients Benefit From Exercise!
http://bit.ly/4A5sXL
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Randomized Controlled Trial of the
Effects of Aerobic Exercise on Physical Functioning and Quality of
Life in Lymphoma Patients http://bit.ly/3q2BEf
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AACR 2009:
Oncologists Should Recommend Exercise, But Not Supplements
medscape.com
there is accumulating evidence to show that it can
improve both prognosis and quality of life
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Can exercise improve survival?
Moderate exercise and remaining active will improve your general
performance, and your quality of life. There is evidence that having
good general performance is a prognostic
factor for improved survival, therefore, indirectly, it's highly
plausible that exercise and keeping fit can improve your survival.
What about exercise during or after chemotherapy?
Seems to be a very good idea ... in moderation and within your limits:
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Can Exercise Reduce Fatigue During Chemotherapy?
Source: www.aafp.org
"During chemotherapy, patients in the exercise group did not have any change in fatigue level, while the non-exercise group showed a significant increase in fatigue. The non-exercise group also had less vigor and higher somatization scores."
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The Effects of Exercise on Fatigue during Chemotherapy
www.noblemed.com
"These studies suggest that fatigue levels correlate with sleep difficulties and that walking as little as 12 minutes per day can significantly improve sleep and decrease fatigue and anxiety. I have attached several abstracts that summarize some of the recent research on the value of exercise during chemotherapy. Many therapists recommend a moderate exercise program along with good skin care and compression as part of the comprehensive management of lymphedema."
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Related Articles
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Performance Status Is the Single Most Important
Prognostic Factor in
Elderly Patients With Lymphoma: Presented at ESMO
docguide.com
Dr. Lim said, "Perhaps it is also important what treatment you
administer or what they have, but if they are of good health they will do
well, and if they are of poor health no matter what you do, it seems that
they will not do well."
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Exercise to Stay Active cancer.org/docroot
Find out how much activity is healthy during treatment and create
an exercise program that's right for you.
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Exercise and lymphocyte activation following chemotherapy for
breast cancer. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2005 Nov;37(11):1827-35. PMID:
16286849
Exercise may improve immune function by increasing lymphocyte
activation in patients with breast cancer following treatment.
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Individualized exercise program for the treatment of severe
fatigue in patients after allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell
transplant: a pilot study. Bone Marrow Transplant. 2006
May;37(10):945-54. PMID: 16565742
| Related
articles
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Regular exercise could both help people avoid developing
cancer, or help them make a more successful recovery, say scientists
BBC
News
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Children: "It has been shown that exercise such as riding a
bike or walking can maintain a patient's strength and endurance while
undergoing therapy." rch.unimelb.edu.
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General
Exercise Tips and Suggestions for Energy Conservation cancerlynx.com
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Exercise and cellular innate immune function. Med Sci Sports Exerc.
1999 Jan;31(1):57-66. Review. PMID: 9927011 PubMed
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Nutritional strategies to minimize exercise-induced
immunosuppression in athletes.
Can J Appl Physiol. 2001;26 Suppl:S23-35. Review. PMID: 11897880
PubMed
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Effect of dietary intake on immune function in athletes.
Sports
Med. 2002;32(5):323-37. Review. PMID: 11929359 PubMed
abstract
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