We need more and better quality research on humans. Only then can we know if the ketogenic diet can prevent or cure certain types of cancers. The ketogenic diet lacks fibre, fruit and vegetables.

It can also lead to low levels of calcium, vitamin D and other salts electrolytes. This diet can cause kidney stones in people with a family history of the condition.

People following this diet often stop due to suffering with:. The macrobiotic diet aims to avoid foods containing toxins. People following it believe that by eating a simple, healthy diet, we can live in harmony with nature. They also believe that the macrobiotic diet can prevent and cure cancer and other serious illnesses.

Many people follow a completely vegan diet with no dairy products or meat. But some people eat small amounts of organic fish and meat. The macrobiotic diet excludes any processed foods.

There are no scientific studies to say that a macrobiotic diet can prevent or cure cancer. Many people following the diet will lose weight.

Researchers believe it might not have enough calories or fluids for people having cancer treatment. A fasting diet is based on not eating for some time, or eating very little, followed by a period of eating normally.

This is also called intermittent fasting. People following it believe that it can help to:. Laboratory and animal studies have been looking at the effects of fasting on chemotherapy. These early studies showed that fasting might protect healthy body cells from chemotherapy. And that it might help chemotherapy to work better on cancer cells.

Some studies showed that short term fasting during chemotherapy improved quality of life and fatigue. Fasting reduced the number of chemotherapy side effects. But these are early studies. Most of the studies on humans are small and based only on selected people with certain cancers.

We need more research. Fasting may be harmful if you have other health problems like:. Many people believe that organic food is healthier or has more nutrients. Organic means a way of farming and food production that uses:.

Researchers did a systematic review of studies in Some of the studies in the review showed a lower incidence of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in people eating an organic diet. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a type of cancer that affects the lymphatic system. But the researchers said that there was not enough evidence to say that an organic diet is beneficial in the long term.

And that we need more research. There is also no evidence that small amounts of pesticides found in foods increase the risk of cancer. Pesticides can be harmful when not used properly and not within the safe levels as stated by the law.

In the UK, a pesticide can only be used once its safety has been tested. Fruit and vegetables might sometimes contain low levels of chemicals.

But this is far outweighed by the known health and cancer protective effects of these foods. Research studies have looked into the role of dairy products in the development and recurrence of different cancers. Some have suggested that there might be a link between high fat dairy products and cancer survival.

But we need more research. Try to eat 3 portions of low fat dairy or dairy alternative a day as part of a balanced healthy diet. Dairy foods are a source of calcium, protein and some vitamins.

If you want to use a dairy alternative, make sure it is calcium fortified. This includes soya milk, yogurt or cheese. Find detailed information and research into some of the many different complementary and alternative therapies used by people with cancer.

Research into complementary and alternative therapies is important so that we know if they are safe to use, whether they work, and to find out if they interact with conventional cancer treatments.

Many people use the internet to get medical information. This can affect their treatment choices. It is important to use reliable and professional organisation websites for this. Cancer and its treatment can cause eating and drinking difficulties in some people.

But there are people that can help and things you can do to cope better. Cancer Chat is our fully moderated forum where you can talk to others affected by cancer, share experiences, and get support. Cancer Chat is free to join and available 24 hours a day. Visit the Cancer Chat forum.

About Cancer generously supported by Dangoor Education since Questions about cancer? Call freephone 9 to 5 Monday to Friday or email us. Skip to main content. Home About cancer Treatment for cancer Complementary and alternative therapies Alternative cancer diets.

This study was not designed to directly compare non-conventional therapies with conventional ones, and the results do not mean that all unproven remedies are useless. In fact, an unproven treatment may become conventional if rigorous research proves its worth.

There are many types of alternative treatments including herbs, vitamins, homeopathy, yoga, and acupuncture that might have different effects and have not yet been well studied. Importantly, this study did not examine the interaction of conventional and alternative treatments which in some cases may cause problems.

In addition, this study did not actually find that complementary treatments along with conventional treatments were harmful. But it did suggest that relying on unproven remedies instead of conventional therapies might be.

Finally, this study did not examine all types of cancer, all types of treatments, or the impact of treatment on quality of life. Different results might have been observed if other outcomes of interest such as quality of life had been included.

If you have cancer and are interested in herbs, acupuncture, or other alternative treatments, talk to your doctor. Think twice before declining conventional treatments. But if you do decline recommended treatment, make sure you understand the pros and cons of doing so, including the possibility of shorter survival.

Robert H. Shmerling, MD , Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing.

As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.

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Icy fingers and toes: Poor circulation or Raynaud's phenomenon? You may have seen the ads in the Sunday paper or on TV: "Try this all-natural remedy! Thousands already have! Some of these ads grab your attention with the headline, "Here's something your doctors don't want you to know.

In addition, the treatments promoted in these ads are typically untested, unproven, and largely unregulated. While I rarely object to my patients pursuing "alternative remedies" that seem safe, I am concerned when the ads suggest that you can "throw away all those pills" your doctor recommended because the advertised treatment will make them unnecessary.

That always seemed like a hazardous claim. A new study suggests that there is danger in relying on unproven treatments over those that have been well-tested. Researchers analyzed data from nearly two million patients with cancer treated at accredited medical centers throughout the US. They only included patients with cancers of the breast, lung, colon, or prostate that had not spread to other areas of the body.

While the difference in five-year survival was small, it was statistically significant. This study was not designed to directly compare non-conventional therapies with conventional ones, and the results do not mean that all unproven remedies are useless.

In fact, an unproven treatment may become conventional if rigorous research proves its worth. There are many types of alternative treatments including herbs, vitamins, homeopathy, yoga, and acupuncture that might have different effects and have not yet been well studied.

Importantly, this study did not examine the interaction of conventional and alternative treatments which in some cases may cause problems. In addition, this study did not actually find that complementary treatments along with conventional treatments were harmful.

But it did suggest that relying on unproven remedies instead of conventional therapies might be. Finally, this study did not examine all types of cancer, all types of treatments, or the impact of treatment on quality of life. Different results might have been observed if other outcomes of interest such as quality of life had been included.

If you have cancer and are interested in herbs, acupuncture, or other alternative treatments, talk to your doctor. Think twice before declining conventional treatments.

But if you do decline recommended treatment, make sure you understand the pros and cons of doing so, including the possibility of shorter survival. However, Yale research shows the opposite is true.

Yu and Johnson published a study with Yale Medicine internist Cary Gross, MD , and radiation oncologist Henry Park, MD, MPH , in JAMA Oncology comparing survival of those who used complementary cancer treatments to those who used only medically recommended cancer treatments.

They studied 1, patients with breast, prostate, lung, or colorectal cancer in the National Cancer Database, and compared patients who used complementary medicine to 1, who did not.

What they found was that patients who chose to use complementary medicines during cancer treatment were also more likely to refuse some aspects of conventional cancer treatments their doctors recommended.

And their refusal of at least some of the recommended cancer treatments was associated with an overall higher risk of dying when compared to those who used no complementary medicines at all. Those most likely to opt for complementary cancer treatments tended to be female, younger, more affluent, well-educated, and privately insured.

Most of the alternative or complementary medicines a patient might consider taking fall into one of two categories:. For example, there are some who believe that amygdalin, which is derived from apricot kernel extract and other fruits and nuts, can kill cancer cells.

Johnson says. Another example: Some patients receive bee venom in hopes of killing cancer but, if there is an undetected allergy, they run the risk of anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction that can be life-threatening. And that worsens cancer survival, he says.

He is part of the Integrative Medicine Program. In his experience, most people are not looking for alternative cancer therapies, he says, but are seeking ways to change the experience of their disease and their quality of life.

The signs include:. It does not have a licence as a medicine in the UK. The Food Standards Agency FSA in the USA states that products with unknown amounts of nimesulide could be very harmful.

Several studies have looked into whether curcumin could be a cancer treatment. These have had some promising results. One of these in was an international laboratory study on bowel cancer cells.

It looked at the effects of combined treatment with curcumin and chemotherapy. The researchers concluded that the combined treatment might be better than chemotherapy alone. A problem highlighted by a number of review studies is that curcumin does not get absorbed easily.

This makes it work less well as a treatment. Researchers are looking at ways of overcoming this problem. There have been some clinical trials looking at curcumin in people with colorectal cancer, prostate cancer and other cancer types. The studies were small and there were limitations to the trials.

Curcumin was well tolerated in those that took it. There was some evidence that curcumin may have an anti-inflammatory effect in the body.

Although some of the results look promising, they do not give enough evidence to say curcumin is an effective treatment for cancer. More studies are needed and with larger numbers of people. A systematic review in looked at curcumin given topically gel or mouthwash to people with head and neck cancer who were having chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

They wanted to see if curcumin could help treat or prevent mucositis. Curcumin did delay mucositis, reduced pain and seemed to speed up wound healing. More studies are needed so that we can compare the results. Fortodol and Miradin are available in the UK and on the internet as food supplements.

The FSA advises anyone taking these products to stop doing so immediately. They should contact their doctor if they have any signs of liver disease.

Do not believe information on the internet not backed up by research. It is understandable that you might want to try anything if you think it might help treat or cure your cancer.

Only you can decide whether to use an alternative cancer therapy such as turmeric. Many websites promote turmeric as a cure for cancer. But no reputable scientific cancer organisations support any of these claims. Curcumin might interact with other medicines. So tell your doctor if you are thinking of taking it.