Alkaline Diet for Cancer Patients
People who follow an alkaline diet feel that altering the diet in this manner can alter the pH balance of the body. Since tumors are believed to thrive in acidic environments, proponents of an alkaline diet argue that this method of dieting can help prevent cancer, aid in cancer treatment, and slow the growth of cancer cells. However, the majority of medical professionals, including those at Bringham and Women's Hospital, do not support these claims.
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What Is an Alkaline Diet?
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An alkaline diet involves restricting the consumption of acidic foods and increasing the intake of alkaline foods. Acidic foods to be avoided include sugars, wheat, white pasta and rice, caffeine, tobacco and dairy products. Alkaline foods include olive oil, basil, parsley, celery, carrots, squash and onions.
Claims about Alkalinity and Cancer
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Believers argue that altering the components of the diet can alter the pH levels of acidity in the body. They believe that a more acidic environment helps tumors to thrive. Thus, lowering the acidity level in the body can help to fight cancer or prevent tumors from developing entirely.
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Can You Make Your pH More Alkaline?
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According to a 2006 article, "Alkaline Diets and Cancer: Fact or Fiction?" by Stephanie Vangsness of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, alkaline diets cannot actually alter the pH level in the body in any significant manner. The pH level is carefully regulated, along with other body systems, and the natural balance will be restored through breathing pattern changes and excretion of wastes. Thus, this diet will not actually alter the pH of the body in any meaningful way for any significant amount of time.
Does Alkalinity Kill Cancer Cells
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Tumors in test tubes have been shown to grow more quickly in acidic environments, according to a May 2008 newsletter published by the American Institute for Cancer Research. Furthermore, chemotherapy medications are demonstrated to be more effective in fighting tumors in an alkaline environment. However, no human studies have replicated these results and doctors caution that the test tube evidence might not translate to the human body. Furthermore, doctors warn that even if this affect does occur in the body, eating an alkaline diet will not necessarily produce the change in pH level necessary to reproduce the effect.
Can an Alkaline Diet Be Harmful?
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The alklaine diet restricts certain foods that may be useful or aid in cancer treatment. For example, patients undergoing chemotherapy typically need high levels of protein, above the average level of consumption. The alkaline diet restricts many healthy and important sources of protein. The alkaline diet also cautions against eating dairy products, which are an important source of Vitamin D, which has been proven to help cancer survival rates.
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