Plant based diet and cancer prevention/treatment

[kayell]

I recently read The China Study and Eat to Live and switched to a very high vegetable/fruit diet (in the interests of weight control and disease prevention). Since then, my father has been diagnosed with cancer and had as much of the tumor as possible (it was a bleeding type) removed. He will start radiation therapy next week, with the focus area at the top back of his sinuses, against his optic nerve, close to his pituatary gland (but not actually in the brain).

He has been reading the books above on my rec. for his diabetes and weight control. Both are very relevant also to cancer. He is committed to a completely plant based diet.

Does anyone here know what considerations to take into account for a cancer patient on this kind of diet, or good places for info? All the standard American Cancer Society type recs (during cancer treatment) seem to assume someone eating essentially an Atkins type high fat, high animal protein, low veg and fruit diet.

[flvegan]

1. Absolutely. This will sound heavy handed, though.

Your dad should adopt a vegan diet. He should read everything he can on how to do that successfully. Before making the switch, somewhat gradually, he should speak with his doctor. The question should be posed like this:
"Doc, I have cancer. When I eat animal products, I put cancer-causing garbage in my body. Therefore, I'm becoming a vegan. Now, as my doctor, I need your help in making sure I don't do anything detrimental to my cancer treatments."

In other words, none of us are really qualified to answer such a heavy, important question...I don't think. Additionally, his doctor isn't a nutritionist, I'll bet, and knows little about nutrition (most docs have little "training" or experience with nutrition, sadly...kind of like a mechanic having no knowledge about gas nor oil, IMO).

Best to your dad and you. Please keep us posted.

[Maru Kitteh]

2. Most reliable (Harvard, Medline, JAMA) websites I have read say a cancer

patient needs to maintain a high protein diet during cancer treatment and the patient will often develop an aversion to fats. Good news! A plant based diet is PERFECT for this, even without any eggs or dairy. Eggs are loaded with fat and cholesterol of course but one thing many do not consider about dairy foods like milk, cheese and yogurt is the fact that every human being who drinks milk in the United States is currently taking part in a giant experiment without their knowledge or consent.

To make a long story short, nearly all dairy farmers of this country inject their cows with a genetically engineered hormone manufactured by Monsanto called rBGH, sold under the name Posilac. This hormone is then consumed by the unwitting public in the commercial milk supply. rBGH milk is supercharged with high levels of a natural growth factor (IGF-1), excess levels of which have been incriminated as major causes of breast, colon, and prostate cancers. This effect is of course intensified in concentrated dairy products like ice cream and cheese.

About a half a hundred links on the subject found here: http://www.ejnet.org/bgh/

High Protein and low fat foods from plant sources are abundant and definitely delicious when just a little bit of time is taken to learn how to prepare them. It's tough when all your life meals have been centered around a dead bit of carcass on the table. I know, I was there very recently too. When you ask someone what they had for dinner last night they never start with the vegetable do they. I had to learn how to build meals all over again. Don't be afraid of being afraid. Don't be afraid of repeating some of the same meals over and over again while you learn new ones. Don't give up when your recipe comes out like stink, just make something else and try again later sometime. Invest in a couple of good vegetarian or vegan cookbooks that look like they have recipes you would actually want to eat. Don't be afraid of tofu. If my husband can eat it and like it, you can too. It's just a matter of the right dish.

Here is a medline link about cancer and nutrition, remember all of the meat and dairy are easily replaceable with plant sources, we're just not accustomed to it in North America.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002439.htm

Please let us know whatever we can do to help you.

[medeak]

3. here's a great link

http://www.cancure.org/gonzales_clinic.htm check out dietary at bottom of page

My Mom was given less than 6 months from cancer and that was 11 years ago with no radiation or chemo.

We took her to Dr. Gonzales, an immunologist from John Hopkin's who left to do more nutritional work. He has a great program of diet and pancreatic enzymes to stimulate the pancreas and immune system.
Was villified 10 years ago on 20/20 and 60 minutes and then with so much success was funded for blind study by National Cancer Institute.

I don't contribute to American Cancer Society any longer as they are too involved with the profiteering of pharmaceutical companies.

Best of luck to your Dad.

[AlienGirl]

4. I've had cancer and gone through radiation

In my case, it was very hard to get food into me, because the radiation (which was to my mouth and neck) caused my mouth to become extremely sore. I survived on soy shakes. Here's a link: http://www.naturade.com/products/naturadetotalsoy/content.html

For a couple of months I couldn't eat solid food at all, and there was a point where it was torture even to drink, but I managed to keep enough weight on to avoid getting a feeding tube.

My best advice, nutritionally, would be to use a lot of soy for protein and a lot of anti-oxidant, healthy, nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables. Good luck, and let him know I'm thinking of him!

Tucker