Hi,
I would like some advice and information about some articles which i have been reading about fasting and healthy eating programmes by way of actually curing cancer!
I am dubious about this supposedly scientific research. But at the same time I would like some concrete evidence on what part healthy diet really plays in the prevention/reduction od cancerous cells in the body.
Does anybody have any info or solid sites which I can refer to?
there are lots of people on here who are interested in this topic, you will get lots of replies and links to lots of studies and web sites. your head will spin.
all I can say is personally if i was convinced that a certain diet would help then i would follow it, but i would still take the convensional cure at the same time.
i would also beware of doing something that goes against your normal eating based on a report written my a journalist or a medical speciallist on a web site or magazine. Hunt out the original report, find out how big the sample was, did they get thier findings asking people to fill in a questionaire on what they ate over the last 10 years, or did people keep food diaries. Did they take a good cross section of patients etc etc etc. Or is it based on cancer cells in a dish reacting to certain chemicals.
I dont think researchers deliberately go out of their way to decieve, i think when they publish their findings all this is covered, but then other publications and sites pick up the findings and just publish a snap shot, and unfortunately it is then reported as a proven fact. So many of these stories, when looked into furthur turn out to be that the researchers have only said that there MAY BE a link and it needs furthur work.
However lots of the suggestions are suggestions that some (but not all) would say promote a healthy life style, so there is no harm in changing. Especiailly if doing something like this gives a you a feeling of control over the situation.
There is a very long thread that already exists on diets / cancer.
breastcancercare.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=29432&p=546260#p546260
Read it through; there are opposing views to plough through but mostly it’s very interesting stuff.
I for one would be VERY sceptical of a person who suggested that fasting would resolve anything except diarrhoea.
If it was a simple action of healthy eating (I can tell you that most of the folk on here are doing just that) that would save so many lives, then why have scientists been researching for decades, centuries, for a cure when the pantry had the answers all the time?
One’s immune system can be assisted by eating correctly, but curing cancer? Fancy a pinch of salt with that juiced aubergine?
I too would be very sceptic of any fasting ? 
but as Ninja has said there is a thread here on this topic which makes very interesting reading
Mekala x
Hi Scroc - my advice would be to make sure you’re source is peer reviewed. It means a whole load of qualified and lay people will have ok’ed it before publishing. x x x
Hi scroc
We have been discussing connections between diet and cancer here:
breastcancercare.org.uk/forum/for-those-interested-in-research-on-diet-and-cancer-t29432.html
We try very hard to only look at serious academic research.
This website collates the latest research linking diet and breast cancer, and gives recommendations on foods to eat and avoid, linking to the relevant research on which those recommendations are made:
Fasting is a very bad idea - but there are plenty of things you can do.
finty x
Edited to add link
Hi Scroc
As others have said, I can’t see any reason why fasting would do any good at all.
I also don’t think there’s any evidence for ‘curing’ cancer through diet alone. Although I’ve made many dietary changes since my diagnosis and regularly input into the diet and research thread, I have had all the medical treatments: surgery, chemo and rads and now tamoxifen. I would certainly not think it was a good idea to replace conventional treatments with diet alone.
Please do have a look at the research and diet thread. As Finty says, we aim to look at academic research as much as possible. elinda x
Hi Scroc.
Personaly i would be extreamly wary of reading anything to do with fasting and healthy eating programmes by way of actually curing cancer, as another poster has already said scientists have been researching for centuries for a cure for breast cancer and the diet theory in particular has been debunked many times.
Could you give us some more information about where the actual articals have come from?or maybe provide a link? as it would be very interesting to read them so as to know of their scorce.
In the meantime Below is BCCs Summer News Magazine, which includes an interesting section entiltled “Whats on your Plate” so is certainly worth a read ,also it maybe an idea to ring the help line as they would be able to put you in touch with one of their clinical team to advise you more about these articals and this subject in general.
breastcancercare.org.uk/upload/pdf/VIta_Magazine_Winter_2011.pdf
Please do be very cautious about anything you read online unless it has come from a reptuable Cancer Center.
Linda x
Hi Scroc
Did any of the websites you read have any suggestions that you might want to buy a specific product? If so, run a mile. There are so many quack websites that play on our terror and try to use that to make us part with our hard-earned cash. If curing cancer were as simple as eating healthily or fasting, don’t you think we’d all be doing it and then being cured? You may even find some of the sites you mention listed on quackwatch, a site that debunks some of the more nasty nonsense that’s out there in the ether. Anyone got a link to quackwatch or whatever it’s called?
Personally, I think the notion of cancer being “CURED” by diet alone is highly dangerous claptrap. Yes, eating healthily is a great thing to do, it can make you feel better in yourself, more energetic and lively, and may help you cope with side-effects of treatment, but as sure as eggs is eggs it won’t cure you. Sorry.
CM…you’re looking foxier than usual today!!
one of the ladies suggested a book called Anti cancer by DR. David Servan-Schreiber. I found it really interesting and a helpful guide on diet and wellbeing, but NOT a cure for cancer
Hi ChoccieMuffin,
Here is the link to the quackwatch site you mentioned …
quackwatch.com/00AboutQuackwatch/altseek.html
Also quackometer has a usefull search section where you can type in any website/book/or name and it will give you that sites credentials and any that you should be very cautious about .
Hope that helps.
Linda x