Blood & Cancer

Cancer patients often ask what they should eat, but it’s just as important to know when they should eat, according to Dawn Lemanne, MD, of Oregon Integrative Oncology, Ashland, and the University of Arizona, Tucson. Dr. Lemanne tells host David H. Henry, MD, how cancer patients may benefit from fasting. The pair discuss immune system suppression, insulinlike growth factor I (IGF-I), and blood glucose monitoring. Fasting and the immune system Fasting before and after chemotherapy can put part of the immune system “to sleep,” thereby protecting it from the deleterious effects of treatment, Dr. Lemanne says. A study of patients on platinum-based chemotherapy suggested that fasting for at least 48 hours (divided pre- and post chemo) led to decreased DNA damage in leukocytes (BMC Cancer. 2016 Jun 10;16:360). Based on this study and preclinical results, Dr. Lemanne advises fasting in patients receiving emetogenic and immunosuppressive chemotherapies. Lemanne defines fasting as consuming no (or few) calories. Patie