ACADEMY PUBLIC POLICIES

Is there any special food I should eat because I have breast cancer?

 No, there isn’t one special diet to follow. Everyone, whether they have cancer or not, is advised to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet.

For most people this means cutting down on the amount of fatty food they eat and having more fresh fruit and vegetables. This is a standard recommendation for general health, not a complementary therapy! Eating well is good for the people you live with too.

Why do some people decide to follow a new diet when they have breast cancer?

Following a new diet can lead some people to feel that they are helping themselves in a positive way. For some people a change in their diet can lead to a change in their attitude towards themselves.

However, omitting certain food groups may actually reduce your body’s immunity when you need it most so be wary of making any radical changes without first talking them through with your medical team.

 What sort of diets are there for people with breast cancer?

 There are many different diets that people might wish to try, and some of the better-known ones are mentioned here. It is worth noting that there is no peer-reviewed published clinical research to support the use of various diets for people with any type of cancer.

Always tell the hospital staff if you are planning to change your usual diet during the time you are having treatment, as some diets may make expected side effects of treatment (for example nausea) much worse.

Hospital dietitians should be able to provide you with personal dietary advice during and immediately after treatment. Some dietary therapies need lots of preparation and can be expensive.

This could have a big impact on any other people who live with you, as well as requiring you to follow an intensive regime, and you might wish to take this into account if you are choosing a diet.

 Are supplements useful for helping to treat breast cancer?

 You should be able to get enough nutrients from your food unless you have a deficiency or can’t take in enough nutrients in the normal way. The use of supplements is an area of current research.

 A friend mentioned the Bristol Diet. What is it?

 This is a diet that was first used at the Bristol Cancer Help Centre (now Penny Brohn Cancer Care. Each person is given individual attention to help them to use nutrition as a self-help tool. Its a wholefood diet, mostly vegetarian, with some animal protein as appropriate, or vegan.

 Gerson Therapy involves a diet, doesn’t it?

 Yes, it does. Gerson Therapy views cancer as a chronic disease which upsets the body’s metabolism. It is thought this can lead to tissue damage, especially in the liver, and to the immune system which governs the body’s defences, making people more prone to infection and other illnesses.

The therapy aims to help to make the body healthy by making the immune system function properly again.

The diet is one of fruit and vegetables that may be eaten raw, liquidised or steamed. Gerson Therapy involves using coffee or castor oil enemas to help to stimulate the liver to remove poisons from the body. This diet claims to cure cancer but there is absolutely no evidence to support this.

 What is the Macrobiotic Diet?

This diet is based on eating foods which complement each other in terms of Yin and Yang. Yin and Yang are two opposing but complementary principles in Chinese philosophy. Yin, which comes from the Chinese word for dark, represents feminine, dark and negative principles.

Yang, which comes from the Chinese word for light, represents masculine, light and positive principles.

Illness is attributed to an imbalance of these two principles.

Yin foods include fruit, and sweet, sour or hot foods, while Yang foods include cereals and foods of animal origin. By adapting your dietary balance of Yin and Yang foods to counteract the imbalance you may restore your health. Salt intake is strictly controlled and meat, milk and processed foods are not eaten at all in this diet.

 Does eating dairy products cause breast cancer, or cause it to come back?

 There have been claims that eating dairy products may cause breast cancer and also that avoiding them after diagnosis and treatment can make for a better outcome, but scientific research has been inconclusive in supporting this theory.

A dairy-free diet, however, can limit your intake of calcium which is important for healthy bones, especially after the menopause. Before changing your diet in this way, you should talk to your doctor, breast care nurse or a dietitian.

 Many people are vegetarian, but what does this mean?

 Vegetarians do not eat any meat or poultry, although some non meat eaters do eat fish. Vegans also exclude all dairy products, eggs and such animal products as honey. If you decide to follow a vegetarian or vegan diet, it is important that you get enough protein and fatty acids.