The Role of Personalized Nutrition in Disrupting Cancer

The Role of Personalized Nutrition in Disrupting Cancer

Cancer Statistics

Nearly 1 in 2 Canadians will be diagnosed with cancer at some point during their lifetime. Cancer is the leading cause of death in Canada and is responsible for 30% of all deaths. Between 2015 and 2030, the number of new cancer cases diagnosed is expected to increase by about 40%. Cancer poses an enormous burden on both the health of Canadians and the healthcare system.1  It is the second leading cause of death worldwide, attributing to nearly one in six deaths.

Approximately 20% of all cancers diagnosed in the United States can be attributed to unhealthy diet, excessive alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, and body fatness. Individual cancers are caused by multiple factors, making them difficult to study from a nutrition standpoint.

Importance of Personalized Nutrition and Dietary Interventions

Genetic influences are a major piece of the puzzle and personalized nutrition is likely to be most effective in disrupting cancer during all stages. Increasing evidence shows that after a cancer diagnosis, continuing standard dietary recommendations may not be appropriate. This is because powerful dietary interventions such as short-term fasting and carbohydrate restriction can disrupt tumor metabolism, synergizing with standard therapies such as radiation and drug therapy to improve efficacy and ultimately, cancer survival.

The importance of identifying dietary interventions cannot be overstated, and the American College of Nutrition’s commitment to advancing knowledge and research is evidenced by dedication of the 2017 ACN Annual Meeting to “Disrupting Cancer: The Role of Personalized Nutrition” and the resulting proceedings manuscript, which summarized the meeting’s findings.

Sources:

1 “Cancer Statistics”, Canadian Cancer Society, Retrieved 06 Oct, 2021. <https://cancer.ca/en/research/cancer-statistics>
“Personalized Nutrition in Disrupting Cancer – Proceedings From the 2017 American College of Nutrition Annual Meeting” Pubmed, Retrieved 06 Oct, 2021. <https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30511901/>.

Marsha Fenwick, C.N.P.  R.R.T.