The causes of cancer can be complicated, much of it being attributed to the environment which is used here to mean, anything outside the genes. Nonetheless, there are preventable causes of varying degree of effect to include diet, alcohol intake, smoking, overweight and obesity, sedentary lifestyle or physical inactivity and cancer-causing pathogens or chemicals.
Common treatment is surgery which will require adequate energy, protein, vitamins and minerals for wound healing. Often, the surgery is followed by several sessions of chemotherapy and/or radiation depending on the type, location, severity and other factors. Same factors plus type of treatment give rise to the many consequences of cancer, one of which is changes in nutritional state. One may experience hormonal changes, nutrient losses and others that can affect food any or all of the following – changes in taste or smell, lack of appetite, premature feeling of fullness, difficulty in swallowing, nausea and vomiting, inflamed lining of the digestive tract, malabsorption of nutrients, all of which contribute to poor nutrition and in its worst state, the cancer cachexia where the patient becomes a “bag of skin and bones.” Both chemotherapy and radiation can reduce the amount of food and nutrient intake, lead to nutrient losses and changes in metabolism.
Once diagnosed of cancer, there is a great tendency to turn to a lot of food supplements which is hounded by a lot of controversies including quality and effectiveness, safety and cost. Some may run counter to the ongoing treatment or prescribed medications.
While nutrition is only a part of the whole equation in effectively dealing with cancer, nutrition is the greatest support to help you maintain well-being and ensure completion of treatment. Nutritional goals sustain energy and nutrient needs to achieve or maintain good nutrition which also makes one feel better. Good nutrition has long been linked to better prognosis, better toleration of treatment-related side effects, lowered risk to infection in addition to faster recovery and healing.
The best sources of nutrients are natural foods. For example, to help in recovery from surgery, there should be adequate calories which is provided by carbohydrate-rich, fat-rich and protein-rich foods, high protein, vitamins A and C, and zinc. Even after recovery from surgery, cancer patients need protein mainly for repair and wound healing. Many patients are advised or decide to shun away from any kind of protein. Milk, meat such as beef and pork, poultry, fish and seafoods are good sources of protein and zinc. Legumes are good alternatives. Among cancer causing agents are processed meats such as those smoked, cured or added with preservatives which had been linked to stomach, rectum and colon cancer. (to be continued next issue)
