Cancer is a terrifying diagnosis, and it’s no surprise that people desperately search for ways to fight it; sometimes turning to unproven diets claiming to be miracle cures. I get it; in a time where you are desperate for more control, desperate to find answers and a miracle cure, you often turn to the one thing you can control: food. But unfortunately, this often turns people away from the things which actually will help, in a bid to heal themselves holistically.
Unfortunately, throughout my career, I have seen more than one person do this, only to realise too late that their cancer could not be cured by the diet they chose, and instead now have to live with the reality that a once-curable condition is now terminal. I don’t want that to happen to you; so let’s talk about some common diets people claim can cure cancer, and why that is BS.
Popular (But False) Dietary Cancer Cures
1. The Alkaline Diet
The Alkaline Diet came about from this idea that cancer cells can only live in acidic environments, and therefore, if we eat foods which make our blood alkaline, we can kill cancer cells. Foods like fruits and vegetables are highly encouraged, whilst meat, dairy, eggs, refined sugar, processed foods, caffeine and alcohol are banned.
The reality? Your body tightly regulates its pH levels; food can’t change them significantly. If it did, we would die every time we ate something which significantly impacted the pH! Whilst I appreciate that the diet is encouraging the intake of more fruits and vegetables, the demonisation of high protein foods like meat and dairy could be damaging to people with cancer, as cancer cachexia (wasting syndrome) is common and only alleviated by a high calorie, high protein diet.
2. The Ketogenic Diet
People believe the Keto Diet can cure cancer due to studies done on cancer metabolism. Essentially, cancer cells uptake glucose at significantly higher rates than other cells; and so the thought is that if you adopt a diet which is extremely low glucose, you won’t be feeding the cancer and therefore it will die.
The reality? Cancer cells naturally have a significantly higher metabolism with any fuel, not just glucose. Whilst some cancers may have a slower uptake of ketones, the actual application of this doesn’t show any conclusive evidence that it slows cancer growth. The keto diet can also have its issues; nutritional deficiencies are common, and it is easy to have side effects such as bowel issues, fatigue and nausea whilst eating this way, exacerbated by the cancer you are experiencing.
3. Superfoods & Juicing
Many people believe that the consumption of foods high in antioxidants, polyphenols, and other plant based compounds, can actively fight the cancer due to their anti-inflammatory properties. Foods like turmeric, blueberries, kale, green tea and ginger are lauded as foods which will cure cancer; but this isn’t the truth.
The reality? While some compounds (like curcumin in turmeric) show anti-cancer potential in labs, eating these foods won’t shrink tumours in humans; there has been no evidence that this can occur in studies. The reality is that whilst these antioxidants may reduce the risk of cancer before you have developed it, it will not cure cancer after it has occurred.
4. The Gerson Therapy (Coffee Enemas & Extreme Juicing)
I’ve already done a blog post on this one; Gerson Therapy is the idea that by changing diet and lifestyle, we can attack the “root cause” of disease (which they believe is toxicity and nutritional deficiency) and can therefore cure cancer. They do this by implementing a plant based, organic diet (heavy on the veggies), drinking a huge volume of freshly pressed juices every day, taking a variety of supplements and performing coffee enemas.
The reality? This is a dangerous and extreme diet with no evidence to back it up that has been implicated in numerous people’s deaths from cancer in the past. It is low in calories and protein, which is a problem for people with cancer, and often exacerbates symptoms from cancer itself.
What Actually Cures Cancer?
While diet plays a supportive role, real cancer treatments are backed by decades of research and clinical trials. Here’s what works:
1. Surgery
For solid tumours, surgical removal is often the first line of defence. If caught early, many cancers (like breast or colon cancer) can be completely removed.
2. Chemotherapy & Radiotherapy
These treatments kill fast-growing cancer cells and have saved millions of lives. Though side effects can be tough, modern medicine is constantly improving precision and reducing harm to healthy cells.
3. Immunotherapy
A groundbreaking treatment that boosts the immune system to attack cancer. Drugs like checkpoint inhibitors have revolutionised survival rates for melanoma and lung cancer.
4. Targeted Therapies & Hormone Treatments
These drugs specifically target cancer cell mutations (like HER2 in breast cancer) or block hormones that fuel certain cancers (like prostate cancer).
5. Stem Cell Transplants
Used for blood cancers like leukaemia, this replaces diseased bone marrow with healthy stem cells.
The Role of Diet in Cancer
While diet can’t cure cancer, it can support treatment and recovery:
- Preventing malnutrition: We see a marked improvement in both symptom management (reduction in fatigue and muscle wastage) and likelihood of recovery from cancer if a proper diet is maintained, with adequate protein and calories (even if that protein and calories are from less healthy sources). The reality is, if you are not consuming adequate protein and calories, your prognosis will be poorer.
- Reducing side effects: some dietary changes can help reduce side effects; cooling, smooth foods like yoghurts, ice creams and high-water content vegetables like cucumber can help manage dry or sore mouths; ginger can help manage nausea, and so on.
- Lowering recurrence risk: Once cancer is in remission, certain dietary patterns can reduce the likelihood of it coming back. A balanced diet, abundant in fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, wholegrains and legumes, such as the Mediterranean diet, is generally associated with the best outcomes.
The Bottom Line
If a diet could cure cancer, oncologists would recommend it. Stick to evidence-based treatments, supplemented by good nutrition and always consult your medical team before making drastic changes to your diet. Now is not the time to mess around with fad diets, or to significantly reduce your calorie intake.
Diets Debunked 