Nutrition and Cancer Basics

Nutrition is part of a whole-person approach to cancer prevention, treatment, and survivorship. It is used as an adjunct to conventional cancer treatment with the goal of improving quality of life, and possibly enhancing overall survival.

Complex topic

Nutrition is a complex topic - both in how it is researched and how people feel about nourishment. The science of nutrition is an evolution, not a revolution. Additionally, the way we eat, including food combinations, and time between meals, may play a role in how our bodies respond to the foods that we eat.

Physical/Biological Affects

Nutrition can affect the body’s biological environment at many levels, including at the levels of metabolism, inflammation, epigenetics (how lifestyle and environmental affect our genes), and microbiome (gut health). Cancerous tumors grow within areas of tissue which have undergone significant changes. These altered areas are called tumor microenvironments. Tumor microenvironments are characterized by disorderly and uncontrolled cell growth, inflammation, loss of immune control, increased blood vessels, changes in how cells utilize glucose to make energy and hypoxia (low oxygen). All of these alterations, known as the hallmarks of cancer, can be influenced by lifestyle, including diet. One way to think about nutrition and cancer is to consider that every food contains many compounds which act as information for our cells. Over time, the food (information) that we provide our tissues can change components of the tumor microenvironment in ways that make it harder (or easier) for tumors to grow. If you're curious about these biological processes, we've provided some resources to explore.