Improving diet to starve cancer ?

[NeedHelp000]

Hi all.
that topic should say to reduce risk of cancer but I can’t edit the title…..
this may sound crazy but honest opinions please.
So a recent routine smear test came back HPV positive with abnormal cells. So I am awaiting an appointment or a colposcopy.

I won’t lie, I’m petrified and sick with worry.
anyway it got me thinking about changing my diet to reduce my risk of cancer- if that’s even possible! I know there is a lot of theories behind it.

I don’t have an unhealthy diet.
I make all meals from scratch. I do mainly follow a low fat diet but I do have a lot of artificial sweetener as a result of this. Fry light, diet fizzy drinks, sweetener in my coffee, sugar free squash, fat free yogurts etc. so this is one area I can change. I do think a zero sugar zero sweetener diet will be hard but am willing to give it a try!

i don’t each much red meat and I don’t drink much alcohol so they won’t be difficult to cut out.
processed foods like hams and cured meats will need to go…..

what do you guys think ?
my husband thinks this is a big lifestyle change and should wait for the results of the colposcopy before I decide as I may not have any cancerous/pre cancerous cells.

thanks in advance x

Ditch the diet soda asap.

Fats are not the enemy.

You won't change your test outcome wrt cancer by changing your diet at this point, but after you've had treatment you'll be healthier if you have a balanced diet that doesn't include artificial sweeteners, and does include some fats.

Sorry , can't edit on my phone - after you've had treatment, if treatment is needed, you'll be healthier....

The one thing that really affects outcomes is smoking as it is a killer on the immunity. Not implying you smoke, just saying

Its very early in the process, please be gentle with yourself and I hope you get good news ASAP.

If its diet you are looking at then keto diet does have some early evidence at making some cancer treatments more effective. Cancer feeds on glucose so depleting you glucose stores makes sense. Don't take my word for it do some reading and see if you find it convincing.

Have full fat natural yoghurts without sugar or sweetner (kefir is even better). Start drinking water (it's just a case of getting used to it and you soon do). Cook mostly in the over rather than frying. We get nitrite free ham but don't eat it too often. I don't think it has to be a huge lifestyle change so why not do it whatever the results.

My BIL is still going strong 8 years after being told to get his affairs in order.

Who knows what the real reason is but he switched to a vegan diet , with the addition of fish and eggs and absolutely no refined sugar.

cervical cancer is not one i associate with poor diet, smoking is the main obvious lifestyle factor , although if a virus such as HPV is persistent in your body then improving your gut health (eg. probiotics and prebiotics) and reducing gut inflammation will perhaps enable your body to get rid of the virus; excess sugar for eg. is a cause of inflammation. From a general cancer risk, undoubtedly it pays to avoid artificial sweeteners ,excessive sugar and processed meat. I agree with previous poster, fat is not the enemy its the type of fats you eat eg. trans fats that are the unhealthy ones.

You could have a look at this website for guidance.
https://therestoreprogramme.com/

A vegan diet with fish and eggs? Not sure how you typed that with a straight face?!

He's vegetarian not remotely vegan.

He's not EVEN vegetarian is what I meant to type!

I said exactly what I meant, a vegan diet with the addition of fish and eggs.

Ditch the artificial sweeteners, eat full fat yoghurt, butter etc. Cut out processed meats like sausages & bacon. Reduce your sugar consumption.

@Startstruck

Then you don't know what vegan means as your post makes no sense.

It makes sense to me. It’s just the same as saying a pescetarian diet with no dairy. Or a vegetarian diet with no dairy but fish added.

A vegan consumes no animal products. You can't add fish or eggs to a vegan diet.

The uncle is a meat eater.

BIL, but he doesn't claim to be anything else. He follows a predominantly vegan diet for health reasons but adds fish and eggs, also for health reasons. Who knows if he's right, but it's kept him healthy for 8 years since they told him he had a few weeks.

I understand what you are saying, you've not once said HE is a vegan.

Exactly. He doesn't claim that at all.

Surely he's just a dairy free pescatarian then? I've been vegan for 10 years and you can't just pick and choose which bits you follow!

Maybe he is. I didn't give him a label, just described what he eats, in response to a question anout using diet to control cancer.

Thanks all for your replies.

any suggestions as to what to add to my coffee instead of sugar/sweeter?

I was going to make a similar point re helping your body clear the HPV. I had a colostomy come back clear last year and am hoping that looking after gut health, vitamins c and d etc might help shift the virus!

Colposcopy! Bloody autocorrect.

Might be worth reading Ultraprocessed People? Am only half way through but it's really good.

generally smoking and obesity are probably two of the main avoidable cancer risks so ideally address those if they're relevant.

Jump on the Ultra processed Foods thread - ditching them or limiting them to just 20% of your diet would be a great idea.

Get the book Ultra-Processed People: Why Do We All Eat Stuff That Isn’t Food … this is informative and yes foods like this can cause cancer if eaten in abundance

if you want more controversial reading material - download the china study (think its still free, it wasn't written to make money)

good luck with your hospital appointment