Alternative Diets

Most of the alternative diets or anti-cancer diets lack scientific evidence to support them. A registered dietitian should give suggestions and guide the cancer patient in making the right choice in food patterns to cope with the treatment and to improve health and quality of life with the scientific evidence of anti-cancer nutrition.

Alkaline Diet:

This diet is based on the claim that cancer cells thrive in an acidic environment and they can’t survive in alkaline surroundings. Therefore, an alkaline diet will change the body’s pH into an alkaline environment and thus prevent cancer from developing. The kidneys will excrete the excess acid through the urine; thus, blood pH is not altered by an alkaline diet.

Alkaline diet mainly includes fresh fruits, raw vegetables, moringa leaves, soy food, legumes, nuts, seeds, roots and tubers with moderate protein intake.

There is no strong evidence that the alkaline diet or alkaline water can prevent cancer.

Atkins Diet:

This is a low-carb diet that focuses on limited carbohydrates to help the body burn fat instead of sugar for energy. It is mainly proposed for weight loss programs, because the body will use fat as a source of energy; this can increase the thermic effect of food – “to burn fat for energy”.

The four basic principles of Atkins diet – weight loss, weight maintenance, good health and disease prevention. However, severe carbohydrate restrictions can cause nutritional deficiencies. Such a diet can cause constipation due to insufficient fibre in the diet, as carbohydrates contribute to a significant amount of fiber.

There are insufficient studies on the efficacy and safety of Atkins diet in cancer management.

Ketogenic Diet (KD):

A ketogenic diet primarily consists of high fats, moderate proteins, and very low carbohydrates aimed at producing ketones in body’s circulation. In KD, the macronutrient composition is approximately 5% to 10% carbohydrates, 55% to 60% fat and 30% to 35% protein.

It is a complex dietary plan with poor compliance and projected side effects. The nutritionists have to consider the nutritional status of the patient before implementing. Intense counselling, micronutrient monitoring, and avoiding calorie restrictions, are some of the most important areas where one has to be vigilant.

Macrobiotic Diet:

The macrobiotic diet was first developed by a Japanese philosopher called George Ohsawa. It recommends choosing organic, locally grown and seasonal food products in daily life.

Due to insufficient evidence, we are not recommending macrobiotic diet for patients diagnosed with cancer/patients under treatment/survivors.

Mediterranean Diet:

Mediterranean food is considered to have cancer-preventive properties as it is rich in polyphenols and phytochemicals both of which have antioxidant effects. The MD is rich in fibre because of a good number of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes.

As mentioned, the Mediterranean diet focuses on vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains and nuts. It recommends moderate consumption of fish and dairy and low intake of refined flour, saturated fats, sugar and red meat.

Low-GI whole grains and low-GI complex carbohydrates are recommended as they are associated with better survival rate and longer life for cancer survivors, prevention of cancer recurrence, and reduction in potential risk of developing or worsening of diabetes and other chronic diseases.

Vegan Diet:

A vegan diet contains only plant foods such as vegetables, grains, nuts and fruits. It doesn’t include animal and dairy products, including eggs. The vegan diet is based on the principle that plant foods produce many phytochemicals, which act as a defence mechanism against cell damage and other anti-inflammatory benefits.

A low-fat vegan diet is beneficial due to its effective supply of dietary fibre and micronutrients and reduced saturated fat which help minimise cancer risk.

A vegan diet needs to be planned judiciously in order to meet adequate nutrient requirements. Regular monitoring of probable deficient nutrients (protein, vitamin B12, creatinine and carnosine) is necessary along with consideration for supplementation.

Intermittent Fasting Diet:

Intermittent fasting is defined as a recurring dietary pattern in which individuals consume little to no food for a particular time period (16 to 48 hours), followed by periods of normal food intake.

Calorie restriction is a dietary regimen that reduces food intake without incurring malnutrition or nutrient deficiency.

Available data for intermittent fasting suggests that it may act favourably in chemotherapy outcomes. The diet seems secure in aptly chosen patients and the side effects are said to be low-grade. However, large randomised trials have not been conducted and hence we cannot come to a definite conclusion as regards the safety and efficacy of the diet in cancer prevention and treatment.

Palaeolithic Diet:

A Palaeolithic Diet (PD) is the “old stone age” era food pattern, which is interpreted in current times as PD. The diet is based on the idea that PD was alkalogenic and it helped human extracellular fluid pH remain neutral.

The diet focuses on meat that comes from animals that have been reared on a grass diet, seafood, eggs, fruits, low-carb vegetables (non-starchy), nuts and seeds. Legumes and whole grains, which have been proven to be cancer protective are excluded and strict adherence may eliminate some food groups.

Trending and Modified Diets:

Diet and nutrition trends offer a wide array of possibilities.

Part – II to be continued.

Ms Yamini Prakash, M.Sc. RD
Chief Dietitian,
Kauvery Hospital, Chennai