How Mental and Physical Fitness Affects Cancer Treatment
People who have cancer may wonder if diet and exercise is still a priority for their health. The short answer is: absolutely. In fact, it may be more important than ever for patients well-being.
In terms of cancer, oftentimes patients feel that they dont have any control over any part of their life and thats not true, Dr. Sairah Ahmed, associate professor in the division of cancer medicine at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, tells SurvivorNet.
On the contrary, she says, diet, exercise, and stress control are extremely important when going through cancer therapy, as well as once youre done treating your cancer and trying to get back to the rest of your life.
Dr. Ahmed tells SurvivorNet that none of the gimmicky diets are useful for cancer-fighting. Instead, the goal is simply to consume nutritious foods. Im asked about keto diets, alkaline diets, no-sugar diets, she says. Often I will tell patients there is not any one diet that has a better potential to keep their cancer away. Theres no data that shows that any of those help to treat cancer any better.
But its important, she says, for people with cancer to avoid losing weight during chemotherapy. You want to have a moderate diet where youre including lots of fruits and vegetables but youre still eating fat and protein and you want to maintain physical exercise, she says.
Dr. Ahmed explains that keeping as fit as possible can help people with cancer as they prepare for treatment.
The more physically fit you are going through your cancer treatment, the less side effects youll have and the faster youll get back to your normal quality of life, she says.
Far from just physical fitness, Dr. Ahmed emphasizes the importance of emotional strength both for patients and their loved ones. Stress control is often something that is not talked about and is not given much weight, but there is a lot of stress, both in terms of the patient whos going through cancer, as well as the family who has to support that patient, she says.
Of course, there are health worries. But there are so many more challenging factors to tackle, too. Theres financial stress, theres emotional stress, and being able to deal with that as well as talk to professionals when you need it, is very important, she says. Staying on cancer treatment is the one thing that will help to cure your disease, and if you are so sad or so overwhelmed that that doesnt happen, then youre actually going to compromise your cancer treatment.
She recommends preparing for stress and seeking professional support if needed as a key piece of preparing for cancer treatment.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
Dr. Sairah Ahmed isassociate professor in the Department of Lymphoma/Myeloma, Division of Cancer Medicine, at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. She is board-certified in internal medicine, hematology, and medical oncology. Read More
In terms of cancer, oftentimes patients feel that they dont have any control over any part of their life and thats not true, Dr. Sairah Ahmed, associate professor in the division of cancer medicine at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, tells SurvivorNet.
Dr. Ahmed tells SurvivorNet that none of the gimmicky diets are useful for cancer-fighting. Instead, the goal is simply to consume nutritious foods. Im asked about keto diets, alkaline diets, no-sugar diets, she says. Often I will tell patients there is not any one diet that has a better potential to keep their cancer away. Theres no data that shows that any of those help to treat cancer any better.
But its important, she says, for people with cancer to avoid losing weight during chemotherapy. You want to have a moderate diet where youre including lots of fruits and vegetables but youre still eating fat and protein and you want to maintain physical exercise, she says.
Dr. Ahmed explains that keeping as fit as possible can help people with cancer as they prepare for treatment.
The more physically fit you are going through your cancer treatment, the less side effects youll have and the faster youll get back to your normal quality of life, she says.
Far from just physical fitness, Dr. Ahmed emphasizes the importance of emotional strength both for patients and their loved ones. Stress control is often something that is not talked about and is not given much weight, but there is a lot of stress, both in terms of the patient whos going through cancer, as well as the family who has to support that patient, she says.
Of course, there are health worries. But there are so many more challenging factors to tackle, too. Theres financial stress, theres emotional stress, and being able to deal with that as well as talk to professionals when you need it, is very important, she says. Staying on cancer treatment is the one thing that will help to cure your disease, and if you are so sad or so overwhelmed that that doesnt happen, then youre actually going to compromise your cancer treatment.
She recommends preparing for stress and seeking professional support if needed as a key piece of preparing for cancer treatment.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
Dr. Sairah Ahmed isassociate professor in the Department of Lymphoma/Myeloma, Division of Cancer Medicine, at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. She is board-certified in internal medicine, hematology, and medical oncology. Read More
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What to Know About Diet and Exercise if You Have Cancer - SurvivorNet
