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Nutrition
Nutrition During and After Cancer treatments
This slideshow presentation was given at the Thriving Together Survivorship Conference at the University of Colorado in January 2025. Slideshow
American Cancer Society
“Cancer survivors often ask their health care providers if food choices, physical activity, and dietary supplements could improve their quality of life and survival. But they also look to news reports and studies for this kind of information. Before making any changes to your diet or activity levels, it is important to make sure the information is based on facts from multiple research studies.”
“It usually takes more than one study to prove a method works. Most often, recommendations from health care professionals are based on the results of multiple studies. So, if a news report focuses on one research study, look at how many people were studied and if other studies had similar results. Also know that news stories are brief and often cannot put new research findings in their proper context.”
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Johns Hopkins Medicine
“Remember that cancer survivorship is a marathon — not a sprint. Start small and stay consistent before overhauling your entire diet. Make one or two improvements (for instance, more servings of vegetables, fewer alcoholic drinks) and commit to those for several weeks before moving on to your next goal. For guidance and support, check in with your oncologist and primary care practitioner.”
Nutrition and Cancer Survivorship | Johns Hopkins Medicine
Smoothie Recipes for People with Cancer | Johns Hopkins Medicine
Mayo Clinic
“Diet and nutrition are key aspects of good health for everyone. But for people living with cancer, it can mean healthier years ahead. Making the change to a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle isn't always easy, especially when breaking lifelong habits, but slow and consistent changes can help.”
The seven recommended steps are:
1. Start with a balanced diet that includes vegetables, fruits and whole grains.
2. Eat berries.
3. Moderate consumption of red meat and avoid processed meat.
4. Reduce saturated fat.
5. Avoid alcohol.
6. Reduce sugary or processed beverages.
7. Avoid supplements that your health care provider has not recommended.
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American Institute for Cancer Research
​AICR “champions the latest and most authoritative scientific research from around the world on cancer prevention and survival through diet, weight and physical activity, so that we can help people make informed lifestyle choices to reduce their cancer risk.”
“No single food can protect you against cancer by itself. But research shows that a diet filled with a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans and other plant foods helps lower risk for many cancers. In laboratory studies, many individual minerals, vitamins and phytochemicals demonstrate anti-cancer effects. By including more foods that fight cancer into your diet, you will help reduce your risk of developing cancer.”
https://www.aicr.org/cancer-survival/
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Colleen Gill, MS, RD, CSO
Nutritional Foundations
5647 East 17th Avenue
Denver, CO 80220
(303)810-8612
colleen@nutrition-foundations.com
​ “Colleen Gill is a registered dietitian nutritionist, speaker, and author with 25 years experience working at the University of Colorado Hospital…. Since 2002, she has combined work at the NCI accredited University of Colorado Cancer Center with her private practice… Colleen attends conferences across the country each year to stay current with the latest nutritional research and therapies for cancer.”
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National - Nutrition
​Jeanne Wallace, PhD, CNC
Nutritional Solutions
1697 East 3450 North,
North Logan, Utah 84341
Phone: 435.563.0053
“Jeanne M. Wallace, PhD, CNC (certified nutritional consultant) is widely regarded as one of the nation’s most prominent experts in nutritional oncology. She is the founder and director of Nutritional Solutions which provides consulting to cancer patients throughout the U.S. and abroad about evidence-based dietary, nutritional and botanical support to complement conventional cancer care.”
http://www.nutritional-solutions.net/
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​Managing Neuropathy
“Peripheral neuropathy refers to the many conditions that involve damage to the peripheral nervous system. The peripheral nervous system is a large communications network that sends signals between the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord) and all other parts of the body.”
“Peripheral nerves send many types of sensory information to the brain, such as the message that your feet are cold. They also carry signals from the brain and spinal cord out to the rest of the body. Peripheral nerves send signals to the muscles that tell them to contract, which is how we move, but also different types of signals help control everything from our heart and blood vessels, digestion, urination, sexual function, and to our bones and immune system”
https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/side-effects/nerve-problems
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GLUTAMINE –“Glutamine is a major dietary amino acid that is both a fuel and nitrogen donor for healing tissues damaged by chemotherapy and radiation. Evidence supports the benefit of oral (enteral) glutamine to reduce symptoms and improve and/or maintain quality of life of cancer patients.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7352314/
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Alpha-Lipoic Acid (ALA) - Has been seen to reduce symptoms of peripheral neuropathy in diabetic patients, and may help with symptoms of chemotherapy-induced neuropathy. Taking 300 mg twice daily or 600 mg daily is considered a safe dose. Symptom improvement is seen within 3-5 weeks. ALA is generally found to be safe and tolerable, though it may cause gastrointestinal Upsetness, headache, rash, and rarely some renal dysfunction.
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Alpha-lipoic acid may interfere with some chemotherapy medications. Always ask your oncologist before taking any herb or supplement, including alpha-lipoic acid.
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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5796052/
https://examine.com/supplements/alpha-lipoic-acid/
https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/supplement/alpha-lipoic-acid