By Sasha
’24
Recent research has shown nutrition can be used to regulate and treat cancer and even prevent it. Following a cancer diagnosis, nutrition can play a role in supplementing treatment. Cancer has many side effects, but a very prevalent side effect is cancer related fatigue (CRF). According to Macmillan Cancer Support, 9 out of 10 people with cancer battle symptoms of CRF.
This symptom can stem from the cancer itself, the treatments a patient must endure, the emotional effects of cancer, poor appetite, and much more. Fatigue can affect a person’s quality of life, making said person feel exhausted, unable to concentrate, and experience feelings of pain in muscles making it difficult to complete simple tasks. Even when cancer treatment is over, symptoms of fatigue can stay with a patient all through treatment and afterward for an average of 6 months to a year, or even longer for some intense treatments.
There are suggestions from the National Cancer Institute on how to limit the severity and impact of cancer related fatigue symptoms which can include spreading tasks out through the week or doing gentle exercise, but these suggestions can be hard for people as another symptom of fatigue is lack of motivation and finding it difficult to complete tasks. There are other ways to tackle symptoms of fatigue where nutrition and diet can severely impact a patient’s energy levels.
With chemotherapy comes nausea and vomiting, which may make it difficult for a patient to stay hydrated, and could result in malnourishment. Along with the changes in the body which may inhibit the body’s ability to digest and metabolise nutrients. By managing and monitoring what foods the patient eats and when they eat can heavily impact a person’s well being and reduce the symptoms of fatigue.
If a patient is trying to battle the symptoms of CRF, it is important to have consistent meals spread out through the day. Eating small meals, about six times throughout the day will provide a consistent and sufficient amount of energy through the day. On top of meal times, the types of food and the benefit a person can gain through All different kinds of food provide different energies, vitamins, and minerals, so designing a diet based on certain foods can help increase energy and support a patient’s everyday life.
Cancer cells require loads of glucose to survive. According to Cancer Connect, a charity supporting and helping people affected by cancer state, “Cancer cells may need as much as 40 times more glucose than normal cells that function with sufficient levels of oxygen to generate the same amount of energy.” This being said, it creates a very inefficient metabolism and causes the liver to break down protein and fats to make glucose which leads to weight loss and fatigue in cancer patients. Ways to battle this is maintaining even blood sugar and overcoming fatigue.
There is a lot of misinformation around eating carbohydrates and glucose whilst battling cancer. Many articles may try to get a cancer patient to lean towards a low carb diet, but there is no evidence supporting that it really “starves cancer cells”. It is not that simple: cancer cells need amino acids and fats too, not just glucose, and the same applies to normal healthy cells, which require amino acids, fats, and glucose to function properly. Resorting to a low carb diet could cause long term damage to the body as carbohydrates are a necessary source of energy to the body, and so removing them from a person’s diet could cause “low blood pressure, kidney stones, constipation, nutrient deficiencies and an increased risk of heart disease,” according to UChicago Medicine.
That being said, just eating simple carbohydrates will not resolve fatigue. All types of foods can provide certain benefits to a person’s body so the key to handling energy levels is having a diverse diet including the correct balance of foods. Carbohydrates are the body’s main source of energy and support vital organ function. Complex carbs such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains provide fibre, vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients that can decrease the production of cancer related hormones, therefore reducing cancer related fatigue. So overcoming the idea of cutting carbohydrates out of a person’s diet, and instead implementing a range of different foods including proteins, fats, and complex carbohydrates are essential for supplementing a balanced diet to help battle CRF.
Nutrition is complex and is dependent on many factors including age, weight, gender, and more. These studies have outlined the importance of nutrition in cancer related fatigue and have helped patients overcome some of the symptoms. It’s just about finding the right sources of food and what works specifically for the patient’s benefit.
Bibliography
“A Molecular Approach to Understanding the Role of Diet in Cancer-Related Fatigue: Challenges and Future Opportunities.” PubMed Central (PMC), www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9003400/.
“Benefits of Good Nutrition During Cancer Treatment.” American Cancer Society | Information and Resources About for Cancer: Breast, Colon, Lung, Prostate, Skin, www.cancer.org/treatment/survivorship-during-and-after-treatment/coping/nutrition/benefits.html.
Bramlet, Kellie. “Phytochemicals and Cancer: What You Should Know.” MD Anderson Cancer Center, 6 Aug. 2019, www.mdanderson.org/publications/focused-on-health/phytochemicals-and-cancer-what-you-should-know.h10-1591413.html#:~:text=Indoles%20and%20glucosinolates%2C%20like%20other,kale%2C%20cauliflower%20and%20Brussels%20sprouts.
CancerConnect. “Carbs and Cancer.” CancerConnect, 23 May 2020, news.cancerconnect.com/treatment-care/carbs-and-cancer.
https://news.cancerconnect.com/treatment-care/carbs-and-cancer
“Cancer-related Fatigue.” NHS Inform – Scottish Health Information You Can Trust | NHS Inform, www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/cancer/side-effects/cancer-related-fatigue#:~:text=Nine%20out%20of%20ten%20people,all%20areas%20of%20your%20life.
“Eating Hints: Before, during, and after Cancer Treatment.” Comprehensive Cancer Information – NCI, www.cancer.gov/publications/patient-education/eatinghints.pdf.
“Fatigue and Cancer Drugs.” Cancer Research UK, www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cancer-in-general/treatment/cancer-drugs/side-effects/fatigue#:~:text=When%20the%20chemotherapy%20ends%2C%20the,marrow%20or%20stem%20cell%20transplant.
“Nutrition for Cancer Patients: How to Fuel Your Body for the Fight.” Cancer Treatment Centers of America, www.cancercenter.com/community/blog/2021/02/nutrition-for-cancer-patients.
news.cancerresearchuk.org/2020/10/20/sugar-and-cancer-what-you-need-to-know/.
“Tiredness (fatigue).” Macmillan Cancer Support | The UK’s Leading Cancer Care Charity, www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/impacts-of-cancer/tiredness#:~:text=As%20many%20as%209%20out,gets%20better%20after%20treatment%20finishes.
“What is Cancer Fatigue?” Cancer Research UK, www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/coping/physically/fatigue/what-is-cancer-fatigue.
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