Dangerous nutrition

Excerpt

The correlations of diet and cancer are complex and still only partially clarified. In spite of extensive research data on the role of nutrition in the development of cancer, well compiled in the recent report by the World Research Fund [1], the practical consequences for tumour prevention are very limited. There is international consensus on the relatively banal dietary advice for primary prevention. Much less is known about the importance of dietary measures in the secondary prevention of specific malignancies, i.e. in the adjuvant setting after primary tumour removal. This holds true also for additive or supplementary dietary treatment in patients with active tumour disease [2], in sharp contrast to the abundant advice for allegedly helpful complementary diets in the lay literature, especially in the German-speaking countries ("Krebsdiät") [3, 4]. There is a great amount of advice and there are innumerable promises from all kinds of promoters. Most prescribe very strict regimens, banning many food items (animal fat, refined sugar, coffee, etc.) and recommend a mainly vegetarian diet ("Vollwertkost") and vegetable oil. Evidence for the benefit and the safety of these complementary diets is largely lacking. In any case they cannot be considered harmless. …