Cancer Patients: Turn Your Treatment Focus to Nutrition

 Nutrition is an important part of preventing and fighting cancer. When cancer patients focus on nutrition, they build their natural defenses and fight disease naturally. Even vitamin C therapy is being considered as a way to fight cancer. Though the treatment is experimental, it shows how advanced the body is in repairing itself with nutrients it needs. Especially with rare cancers like mesothelioma, treatments may be limited so consider how these nutritional changes or inclusions can help to fight cancer.

Studies have shown that a diet high in antioxidants can help to fight and prevent cancer. Antioxidants fight free radicals and protect cells from damage. Antioxidants can be obtained through fruits and vegetables. The most effective antioxidants include lycopene, beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, and vitamin A.

It is recommended for people suffering from cancer to eat plenty of green leafy vegetables. Kale, collard greens, mixed greens and spinach are recommended for fighting cancer. If arthritis is also an issue, collard greens and kale are better choices than spinach, which is not recommended for people suffering from arthritis. Water retention may occur near joints such as knees and ankles. Carrots, tomatoes, oranges, pumpkin, corn, broccoli, nuts, mangos and soybean oil are recommended for cancer.

Tea, especially green tea, is thought to be effective in preventing and controlling cancer, but the American Cancer Institute does not recommend tea. Caffeine may be the reason why. The polyphenol compounds and catechins are antioxidants that are suspected to be effective in cancer prevention. The studies have been inconclusive, but there is strong evidence that leads experts to believe that the tea can be effective in healing cancer.

Garlic is suspected to reduce the risk of developing cancer in the gastrointestinal tract, but the extent to which it helps is unknown. Garlic helps with numerous ailments in addition to cancer prevention. If high cholesterol is a problem, garlic will help to lower the levels, and it also prevents colds from developing.

Nutrition is important for any patient who is fighting cancer. Without proper nutrition, cancer patients will feel fatigue and may develop aches and pains that they would not otherwise. Cancer patients should work with their physicians to develop the proper regimen because there are so many things that could negatively affect cancer.