Answer Summary
Members explored the question of whether fasting during chemotherapy could reduce side effects or improve outcomes, with experiences and... Read more
Hi Hilary, I did a Valter Longo's Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD) during my 4th-6th infusions. It is a 5 day plan which is started 3 days before your infusion, continues the day of the infusion, and for the day following the infusion. The only thing I noticed was I was less tired and not as nauseated after chemo. Can't really say if it helped in cancer cell death or healthy cell regeneration.
Here is a link in case you are interested in the research:https://valterlongo.com/cancer-for-doctors/
Dr Longo is not a quack, he is a professor at USC and still actively doing research on diet and cancer. There is a company which sells food for the diet (Prolon), it is around $200 for the 5 day plan. Profits from the sale of products are funneled back into research.
I did not buy the prepared Prolon meals due to food sensitivities (like onions).
I found recipes on-line to mimic the diet and pureed them to make digestion quicker, I think the daily calorie count is around 600-700cal.
At the end of each FMD period I lost 2 lbs and was able to gain it back before the next cycle, loosing weight is one of the problems with such a prolonged fast. At least fasting should not encourage cancer growth, so it is worth a shot if you can tolerate it!
Hang in there:)
I heard it's a good idea and am going to try fasting before, during and after my next treatment. I'll let you know if I have any noticeable results. I do get bad abdominal cramps if I eat dinner after chemo, so at least I should be able to avoid that.
I thought about it and asked my dietician who said she'd never heard of anyone fasting during chemo treatments.
I read that there are positive benefits just before the treatment but she and my son feel it's unwise bc I've already lost weight each time during the first week following infusion and it takes me the following two weeks to gain it back.
A friend sent me this article on fasting during chemo:
https://nutritionfacts.org/blog/the-effects-of-...
Thanks Jenny for the extensive information. I'll show it to the dietician at my fourth infusion on Friday, unless I decide to try a one day fast beforehand.