It always appalls me when people talk about their nutrition on the forums, it appalls me even more when I read what dietitians and Dr's tell their patients about food.

I was traveling this weekend and was talking to a graduate student in nutrition and a Dr (a clinical professor from NYU) about nutrition actually and unfortunately schooled them both to their own admission. The issue with these two sources is that one is not the familiar with the other field of study. The average dietitian would have no clue what happens metabolically in a cancer patient, and the average Oncologist knows sh!t about nutrition. Just like GPs are horrible at the effects of drugs systemically, they hear most of what they know from their drug rep and pray the Pharmacist catches any "F" ups. Yes I am a cynic and bitter...

Anyway I am a huge advocate of proper nutrition and it bothers me when I read people going through treatment packing so much sugar, junk and worthless calories into their body when they need to be thinking of it like a race car and supplying it with the highest octane fuel to win the race.

Quick Fact: 20% of "all" cancer patients die of malnutrition, not cancer nor the treatment of.

Probiotics are a great addition to any nutrition plan as it is going to increase digestion and absorption, processes that are inhibited the hormone responses happening in the system of cancer patients. When our bodies immune response is activated, the process actually inhibits proper digestion and absorption, adding to it the elevated cortisol levels brought on by the stresses of cancer (cortisol is the called the "stress" hormone as it's what the body produces as a fight or flight response to stress, quick fact:cortisol counteracts insulin further adding to the digestion absorption issues in the cancer patient) and you have a recipe for disaster, especially considering your body is already hypermetabolic due to fighting cancer and trying to heal from the effects of treatment.

Due to the disruption of insulin caused by the cortisol, you really have to look at the average cancer patient as a diabetic and steer away from processed sugar and simple carbohydrates, meaning really watch most canned fruits (due to syrup) and fruit juices from concentrate as they are heavily processed and really basically just sugar water.

I'm a fan of juicing fresh fruits and vegetables, but during treatment the lions share of calories should come from fats and proteins. The weight that we lose during treatment is lean muscle mass due to metabolic changes and the immune response. Due to the difficulty eating and the bodies hyper-metabolic state, it will begin to catabolize lean muscle tissue into amino acids to throw at the immune response. Quick fact patients with higher percentages of lean muscle mass have higher survival rates in cancer, coincidence? Not likely, so logic tells me the goal for nutrition during cancer treatment is to sustain lean muscle mass. Logic would also tell me that if that's the goal then the best nutrition program would come from those who understand sports nutrition Thankfully I am that person, and you are welcome because I'll help you if you need. Brian has actually volunteered to be my guinea pig as after spending some time with me this weekend he realized the photos of my bicepsaren't photoshopped and I really am built like a truck in real life.

To begin with the program you need to religiously track your nutrition (soon OCF's app will do that for you) religiously and know your macro-nutritient breakdown and percentages. Calories just aren't calories folks.

To begin with, think of everything you eat as not only providing vitamins and minerals, but also to control hormone response. Complex carbohydrates to regulate blood sugar levels (40% of your total caloric intake) which is key due to the hindered insulin levels described above. 35% good fats (mono and poly unsaturated fats) with a high ratio of omega 3 fatty acids (omega 3's help with insulin resistance among a multitude of other benefits), the higher percentage of fat in your diet, the higher your testosterone, the hormone responsible for maintaining lean muscle mass and crucial in protein synthesis in the body. Finally 20-25% protein (or 1-1.5 grams per pound of body weight), preferably whey protein as it has the fastest uptake of any other form of protein and full of all the essential amino acids your body, and immune response needs.

Now arguably the most important amino acid needed is Lucien as it's the branched chain amino acid identified to trigger protein synthesis in the body. I actually recommend adding a "BCA" (branched chain amino acid) supplement while in treatment to help keep that important lean muscle mass. I would recommend printing out my response and giving it to your medical professionals or dietitians...they can verify it for accuracy, they actually get paid to know this sh!t.

Hope it helps, and yes...you're welcome.

Eric