This is my second time getting breast cancer. The first time I didn’t change my diet (mostly healthy but treats on weekend) so here I am with stage 4. I now see a functional practitioner and after a genetics test shows that my body cannot tolerate grains, turns excess protein to blood sugar and my body needs a lot of fat! So every one is different when it comes to food. But the one thing that is definite is that cancer loves glucose! So try and cut down sugar, I know many people like to say this is a myth but there’s plenty of evidence and studies to prove this. I am on a strict keto diet which I enjoy, this will also help with inflammation after radiotherapy etc.
Maybe a genetic test would be best for you if you want to get it right. And also soy/almond milks can contain a lot of sugar and other ingredients so be wary. Can’t be organic cows milk
@lilly-daa44
Thankyou for this. I had read about sugar and have cut it out but hadn’t done my homework about it being in soy and almond milk. Need to read packaging and not rely on my assumptions.
I am so sorry that it has returned, I hope the treatment will be successful for you. X
@lilly-daa44
Sorry I forgot to ask, how would I go about getting a genetics test for my diet? X
I did mine with a company called nutrition genome (plenty of other companies online). Ordered the kit, just a quick mouth swap then send it back to the lab. With the test I did there was a lot of interesting stuff about my hormones (how they contributed to the cancer) and also genes that determine whether I’m drug resistant to chemo etc.
Hope it helps, it’s definitely worth doing.
This is one reason why I have continued to have whole cows milk as I know that calcium is dissolved in fat and as far as I know it has to be added to skimmed milk though I’m not sure about semi- skimmed . I don’t believe it’s found naturally in almond milk etc. though there is calcium in soy but basically a lot of milk that is sold has been messed about with. Things taken out / things added to make them more nutritious and taste better . You can find sugar free soya milk alongside the kind with added sugar - when I was still drinking soya milk I actually preferred the taste of the sugar free . When I was at a festival I ordered a latte and didn’t realize until afterwards that the stall I got it from was vegan and that it was made with oat milk . Later to warm up I had a hot chocolate made with coconut milk and that was 
. I do know of people who make their own almond and oat milk but I think it’s a bit time consuming . Xx
All of our cells love - and need - glucose!
Yes but they don’t have to. I’m on a ketogenic diet meaning my cells consume ketones as an energy source. In fact, the brain prefers ketones to glucose. Cancer cells consume 20-30 times more glucose than normal cells but they can’t consume ketones. That’s why fasting and keto diet are so effective for cancer.
Check out otto Warburg, Thomas seyfried and nasha winters work.
And then there are studies like this:
That is interesting. I’m going to send this to my functional practitioner to see what she thinks. Thanks
There are many studies showing the complete opposite to this in people, this study is preclinical done on mice who aren’t supposed to eat a keto diet they are generally plant based and so a keto diet likely causes issues! This means it shouldn’t be used to determine what is best for humans. It is also linked findings to tracking a tumour linked to a particular transcription factor BACH-1 which is very specific. We often find in studies like this they are feeding the animals high fat, poor quality ‘keto’ diets using inflammatory oils like rapeseed or sunflower which are themselves inflammatory and worsen cancer (they don’t give this information in the study)
This is my functional doctor’s response to the article.
Ah @sue9 I see you are still ready to jump on the banwaggon of people suggesting unproven suggestions. Beware of anyone who says phrases such as ‘I’ve read’ ‘there’s lots of ‘stuff’ ’ research says’ etc. Its all pretty vague. Anyone can put up ‘stuff’ on the internet thats false.
There’s an interesting podcast called ‘sliced bread’ found on BBC sounds, that has an episode on test kits for Allergies. The upshot of it being that genetic testing for food intolerances is a total scam. Liz O’Riordan ( a reputable breast surgeon I’m sure we all know) would say that ’ sugar doesnt feed your cancer’ its all crap that pulls on the heartstrings of people in a vulnerable position.
Wherever I can, I source my evidence for sound advice.
But it comes down to personality, some people will hang onto what makes them mentally feel good rather than it actually being of physical benefit, . If the extreme diets and cutting things out makes you feel mentally like you are doing something, then perhaps that is valid. Just know that if you find it hard to keep adapting to new ‘rules’ of diet plans, and start kicking yourself for not managing to chase it all. There are people in the meantime who just eat more veg and excercise more, and don’t deny themselves anything, and have no more a risk of recurance than all those avoiding stuff. Life’s hard enough without chasing the next diet trend.
@entropy
I have just returned from an afternoon tea with friends. I initially sat there looking at the spread, but decided to enjoy myself.
I walk an average of 3 miles a day with my dog, have decided to eat more fruit and veg, am avoiding sugar in tea (I don’t drink other sugary drinks), not fussed on alcohol anyway, and just live.
I have read so many articles, many with conflicting views, that by 11 a. m this morning I was resigned to a diet of dust!
I think it’s so important that we do what we can, support each other, listen to eachothers’ views in order that hopefully we can live a happy, fulfilling life despite having this horrid disease.
It Is a minefield! 
Thankyou @bettymay. X
Is your ‘functional Dr’ actually a medically qualified Dr? Its not a title I recognise.
Hi Sue, I think you have the right attitude there, do what you can to remain healthy but enjoy life.
Exercising, not drinking alcohol (or reducing intake), eating plenty of veg and maintaining a normal weight are the main evidence based advice to prevent breast cancer and prevent it returning. Researching dietary effects on cancer is a minefield, its not straightforward. I have a family history of cancer and I ended up doing a PhD in nutritional epidemiology because I wanted to understand more about how diet affects breast cancer. My advice if you wish to look into the research is not to focus on one research study but to look at the collated evidence. For over 2 decades The World Cancer research Fund has set teams of researchers on this task and from time to time produce large reports on their meta analyses. I became very familiar with their 2007 report, but this has been updated in 2018, with a smaller one published more recently relating to survivors. These reports will be where Cancer Research Uk and the likes obtain their dietary advice.
Too much too read here but it’s there if anyone is interested.
Sorry I should have used the words ‘reduce risk’ rather than ‘prevent’
Thankyou @inmybones
I will most definitely read through these bit by bit. X
Yes a doctor who used to work for the NHS , functional medicine is still quite new, more popular in America, looking at individual needs and root causes rather than just the symptoms (which is cancer).
I went along with the usual cancer treatment three years ago and carried on as normal, it has now returned and is in my spine, liver and pelvis, so I realised there’s something more to just removing it and hoping for the best. I have done so much research, books, podcasts, articles , now seeing a functional practitioner. It’s very disappointing when people try to shame others for looking for the real cure to cancer. My oncologist says there is no cure whereas my functional practitioner has cured many people. Don’t be so close minded and if I have to cut a few treats out to save my life then so be it. I am very happy on keto diet, sugar is awful, it’s really not the end of the world to cut it out.
I think the advice Liz gives is awful. I would rather take advice from the many people who have cured their stage 4 cancer than someone who has had 3 reoccurrences. Obviously something isn’t working there.
If alternative treatments such as functional medicine makes you happy, so be it, happiness is fundamental and vital. To rely on it instead of medical treatments is a worry, but if little can be offered by conventional medicine (or the side-effects become not worth extended life possibility as the best outcome) its understandable to seek out alternatives. I hope you remain stable for a long time to come. Hope for a cure is a hard thing to let go of and a powerful thing to give to a person.
The original post was regarding minimising risk of recurance, however, not looking for dietary cures for metastatic cancer, which is a different situation that you are claiming functional medicine can achieve. It’s no surprise that people get confused about what they read. I looked up ‘functional medicine’ on wikki to find out about it, interesting reading. Each to their own.
I’m aware of the topic, that’s why I offered advice on diet. Preventing reoccurrence and curing metastatic would be similar advice.
I come on this forum for support and advice and hopefully offer some advice, someone could tell me they were taking dragon farts as a remedy and I wouldn’t be as rude or patronising to them. Happiness is vital and when you come to a space where you feel supported and seek comfort, the last thing you want is some belittling comment. So if you’re in a bad mood then i suggest refraining from coming on here getting wound up by differing opinions.