Popular Diets That Mesothelioma Patients Should Avoid

Popular Diets That Mesothelioma Patients Should Avoid

A mesothelioma diagnosis can come as a shock for patients and their loved ones. Often times people will suggest alternative mesothelioma treatment options, such as mesothelioma homeopathy, meditation, but one critical treatment aspect that is often explored is altering your diet. In some cases, popular diets that are promoted as healthy options may not be the best choice for patients.

While these popular diets have been practiced for many years and have shown good results, this does not make them the right diet for mesothelioma patients.

Like many other cancers, people with mesothelioma should have proper nutrition to go with their treatment. You need to give your body the right nutrients to fuel the healing process, increase immunity, and give your body the strength that it needs during and after mesothelioma treatment. Certain popular diets may not provide these nutrients you need so much.

Vegan Diet for Mesothelioma Patients

This diet excludes all the products that come from animals, direct and derived products: meat, dairy, eggs, fish, poultry, shellfish, honey, gelatin, among others. Millions worldwide are practicing veganism not just as a diet, but as a lifestyle, avoiding the use of clothes and materials made out of animals such as leather or silk.

Normally, a well-applied vegan diet can reduce the risks of developing chronic diseases or cure them. Studies have shown that this diet can help eliminate type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension from an ill patient. However, for many individuals undergoing cancer treatment is not a good option.

A common nutritional issue for mesothelioma patients is the low intake of proteins and calories in general. Practicing a vegan diet can aggravate this issue.

While is true that vegetal protein like beans and soy can be very healthy, is also true that is bulky and it fills you up before having enough. It happens the same with fruits and vegetables. A large amount of these provides fewer calories, filling you before having the necessary calories to resist cancer treatment.

Ketogenic Diet for Mesothelioma Patients

Also known as the “keto diet”, approximately 85% of the calorie intake comes from fat. The purpose of this diet is to train the body to only use fat as the main source of energy, recurring to the process of ketosis.

Carbohydrate intake must be controlled as exceeding the recommended carbohydrate intake can prevent the process of ketosis, leading to an unbalanced non-ketogenic diet very high in fats.

There are not enough studies that show the benefits of this diet in cancer patients, reporting high failed attempts due to the difficulty that following its guidelines represent. Constipation, fatigue, and muscle cramps could appear as side effects. Mesothelioma treatment could be also affected by the rapid weight loss that many people have with the keto diet.

Cleanse Diet for Mesothelioma Patients

With the promise of removing big amounts of toxins from your body, cleanses have become very popular these days. But the truth is that a majority of these cleanse programs end up being fraud, not receiving the expected health benefits and losing money buying expensive juices and powders.

But that is not the major issue with this dietary plan. A cleanse will reduce your caloric and protein intake, which are nutrients necessary during active cancer treatment. This will lead to rapid weight loss and fatigue, two things that are not good for a patient with mesothelioma.

Besides this, a patient going through cancer treatment is already struggling to eat. If you eliminate most of the foods from their diet, getting enough to eat will represent a major issue, not having the sufficient strength to face the treatment. Patients with stage 4 mesothelioma will find this diet option very difficult.

Fasting for Mesothelioma Patients

This refers to the voluntary decision of not eating food for a concrete period of time, allowing certain liquids like water, coffee, and tea. Reducing drastically the calorie intake for longer than usual can cause dangerous situations that affect the absorption of the medication, including mesothelioma chemotherapy and specific therapies.

Fasting can worsen an already malnourished immune system, very common in patients with cancer before, during, and after receiving treatment. If you notice weight loss without doing anything to provoke it, you should take that as an alarm that your body is going through severe stress, and fasting will not improve it.

Ongoing studies are focused on investigating the benefits of fasting in cancer patients, but the results have not shown improvement of their quality of life.

Low-Carbohydrate Diets for Mesothelioma Patients

Between 45 and 50 percent of the calorie intake of the common American diet comes from carbohydrates. This is the reason why following a diet with reduced amounts of carbohydrates can be very difficult. And if you are going through cancer treatment, this can be even harder.

Fatigue, irritability, taste changes, nausea, and early fullness are common symptoms that appear during cancer treatment, making the patients change their eating preferences to blander and more comfort carbohydrates like toasts, crackers, and noodles. Those searching for new mesothelioma treatment should read through our site to explore treatment options as well as natural mesothelioma treatment.

Mesothelioma Treatment Should be Accompanied by Good Nutrition

A cancer patient will have very different dietary needs than a regular person, so following a diet that is designed for their recovery process is necessary to continue battling cancer. Eating healthy should be a priority. The best advice we can give you is to seek the help of a specialist in nutrition or cancer dietitian that can make a dietary plan just for you and your nutrient requirements.

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source https://umassmedicalschool.com/2019/04/23/popular-diets-that-mesothelioma-patients-should-avoid/