Does ‘Clean Eating’ Improve Breast Cancer Recovery? 

Staff
By Staff
2 Min Read

There’s no evidence that clean eating can cure cancer, prevent recurrence on its own, or detox the body after chemotherapy or radiation.

A lot of online discourse around diet and breast cancer goes beyond what evidence actually supports, says Sherry Shen, MD, a breast medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. “The fact is, diet is really hard to study. People’s eating habits vary widely, and even one person’s diet can look completely different from day to day. I might eat salad and lean protein one day and four candy bars the next. And it’s very hard for researchers to account for those variations.”

Due to these varying factors, Dr. Shen cautions against putting too much stock in claims about any single food or dietary trend. “There’s no magic bullet,” she says.

Overly restrictive eating patterns can sometimes do more harm than good actually. During breast cancer treatment, it’s common to struggle with appetite loss, nausea, taste changes, or unintended weight loss. This can make it harder than usual to get the calories and nutrients your body needs. What’s more, rigid food rules can increase stress around eating and negatively affect quality of life during recovery.

Major organizations, including the American Cancer Society and National Cancer Institute, support balanced, nutrient-rich eating habits during and after treatment, not extreme clean eating or highly restrictive diets, to promote cancer recovery.

Read the full article here

Share This Article
Leave a comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *