Ask the expert

Can diet prolong life?

Question

My niece had breast cancer 2 years it has now traveled to her bones and liver and she has been told there is nothing they can do for her now. Can you tell me if there is any special nutricinal diet that would help her to prolong her life. Her age is 37years Thanks for your help

Answer

Unfortunately, there are no foods proven to prolong life in patients with incurable cancer. Several types of alternative diets exist that actually claim to treat or cure cancer. Many of these diets are very rigid and show similar restrictive patterns, such as; being vegetarian or vegan, low in fat, sugar and salt, and containing large amounts of raw food. Sometimes the use of dairy products is restricted or avoided, and high doses of vitamins, minerals or supplements may be encouraged.

It is understandable that people with cancer may be tempted to follow an alternative diet, especially when they claim to offer the hope of disease remission or even a cure. However, there is no scientific evidence to support the claim that alternative diets can increase a person`s chance of survival or cure the disease.

The problem with many alternative diets is that they are more likely to impair nutritional status rather than improve it, and they could even be harmful. As these diets tend to be high in bulky, fibrous foods they often result in being low in both calories and protein. Eating sufficient calories and protein to meet nutritional requirements can therefore be difficult, and patients risk losing weight at a time when they really need to keep well nourished. Limiting food choice may trigger dietary imbalances, and taking extra-large doses of vitamins, minerals and supplements may even be dangerous.

What we can say for certain is that keeping well nourished will help your niece to minimise weight loss, prevent nutritional deficiency, fight off infection, and maintain physical strength for as long as possible. If any palliative treatment is suggested, improved nutritional status will help her to tolerate optimal doses of treatment and cope with the treatment side effects.

If weight loss is an issue, or eating and drinking has become a problem, your niece may find the following dietary suggestions helpful to increase the calories and protein in her diet:

  • Eat ‘little and often’ i.e. every 2-3 hours rather than 3 larger meals.
  • Try high protein/calorie snacks e.g. full fat yoghurt, ice cream, cheese and biscuits, nuts.
  • Choose foods that are higher in protein and/or calories e.g. full fat milk rather than skimmed milk, or full fat yoghurt in preference to diet yoghurts.
  • Choose nourishing fluids to drink. Examples include:
    • milk and milky drinks, e.g. chilled milk, milkshakes, iced coffee/mocha, hot chocolate, milky coffee,
    • fruit juice, fruit smoothies
    • yoghurt based drinks
    • sugary drinks, e.g. Lucozade, Appletiser, Schloer, Lemonade, High Juice ranges rather than diet varieties for example.
  • Add extra calories and protein to food by adding cream, cheese, or butter to savoury items. Try adding sugar, honey or evaporated milk to sweet items.

There are some ‘High protein’ and ‘Quick and easy snacks’ on the website that will give you some further ideas. Additional suggestions to help alleviate nutrition related difficulties, e.g. poor appetite can be found by following this link How to cope with side effects. If you niece would like more detailed advice, she can ask her Hospital Doctor or GP to refer her to a Registered Dietitian.

Source: Nutrition in cancer Editorial Board