Mother has successful cancer surgery, daughter visits, shocked at weight loss. Believes myth that eating well nourishes cancer, doctors tell her to ‘believe in science’. — SCMP
The story of a woman in China who was recovering from cancer and tried to “starve” her tumours to death so that the disease would not recur has shocked mainland social media.
The woman, surnamed Xu, lost 22kg in six months and saw her weight slump to just 43kg with a body mass index (BMI) of just 16.3.
She was sent to hospital in eastern China’s Zhejiang province by her daughter who was shocked to find her mother looking so thin. She had not seen her for some time because she worked in another city.
Xu told doctors she had successful surgery for stomach cancer six months ago.
Then, in a strange bid to sustain her health and prevent the cancer from recurring, she began starving herself.
She believed that eating too well would nourish the cancer cells and help the tumours grow.
Her meagre daily diet consisted of a small amount of rice and vegetables, according to the mainland media outlet, Yangcheng Evening News.
In China, a folk myth persists that eating nutrient-dense foods can increase the risk of cancer.
Ye Wenfeng, a doctor at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center in the city of Guangzhou in the southeastern province of Guangdong, said cancer cells will fight against normal cells for nutrition, which means patients should take in more nutrients, not less.
Ye said that cancer sufferers who starve themselves are not aiding recovery.
Also, because malnutrition is a common side effect of cancer treatment, doctors usually advise patients to pay special attention to ensure they are getting sufficient nutrients.
When the doctor who treated Xu told her that her belief was unscientific and asked her to “believe in science”, Xu promised she would listen to doctors in future.
In traditional Chinese medicine, or TCM, it is thought that some food, such as lamb, and greasy or spicy dishes, are not beneficial to cancer patients, as they could create excessive internal heat and trigger old diseases.
According to the Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital, a balanced diet should contain low-fat, high-protein food that is easy to digest and rich in vitamins and minerals, such as milk, eggs, vegetables and fruit.
Cancer patients are advised to stick to their usual eating habits, but to eat little and often. This places less of a burden on the body, which is already working hard to fight the illness.
Another old belief is that certain vegetables, such as okra, garlic and onion, are “magical anti-cancer” vegetables.
Doctors at the Jiangsu Cancer Hospital, Wang Hui, said there is no scientific basis for that claim, and that they are no different from any other vegetables. — South China Morning Post
