In our previous blog post, we reviewed specific dietary patterns that research demonstrates are beneficial to breast cancer patients. Today we take a look at how our general dietary recommendations are valuable not only to breast cancer patients, but to anyone facing a cancer diagnosis.
We recommend a diet that’s low in saturated fats and high in fiber, plant-based sources of protein, cold water fish, which is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, complex carbohydrates, fruits and berries, all rich in antioxidants, and nuts, seeds and cruciferous vegetables, foods containing other cancer fighting substances such as allium compounds, dithiolthiones, flavonoids, glucosinolates, indoles, isothiocyanates, phenols, and d-limonene. This nutritional strategy is intended to do several things, including:
- Help curtail inflammation, which is essential for combating recurrence and progression. In fact, elevated inflammatory markers increase risk and mortality of breast cancer by 2 to 3-fold, whereas countering this can be the difference in preventing proliferation and dissemination of breast cancer cells, and even never seeing the cancer again!
- Reduce free-radical damage.
- Minimize platelet activation and deaggregate platelets, essential elements in preventing migration, dissemination and metastases. (This can also lead to dangerous blood clotting).
- Manage and contain blood sugar and insulin surges.
- Reduce serum levels of insulin-like growth factor 1, or IGF-1 (which stimulates malignant cell multiplication and inhibits cell death).
Evidence shows that reducing glycemia, insulinemia, inflammation and oxidation makes a huge difference in every challenge a breast cancer patient faces, including improving the biological integrity needed to counter growth while reducing the risk of recurrence.
One last thing: remember while diet and nutrition are fundamental when it comes to overcoming any malignancy, it is only one aspect of a comprehensive, innovative and integrative approach to effectively combatting cancer and increasing the odds of overcoming your disease.