It is widely known that obesity is a risk factor connected with almost 13 cancers (like breast, colorectal, and pancreatic cancer). Researchers stated that fasting as a weight loss strategy has some positive impact on cancer prevention and treatment. But this is inconclusive. More researches are required to find the positive and negative impact on cancer.

Before fasting, cancer patients should consult with their oncologists about whether they can do fasting or not. We usually hear that fasting is not advised for malnourished people or those who are suffering from cancer cachexia or those with a history of eating disorders.

According to the researchers, there are lots of positive impacts of fasting on a cancer patient-

• Breast cancer recurrence
  A research was done by some researchers from several universities in San Diego. They found that fasting may decrease the recurrence of breast cancer.
• Slowing cancer growth
  Cancer cells consume glucose at a higher rate than healthy cells do. Fasting reduces the glucose level in the body, which may slow the cancer growth.
• Improves treatment
  Some researchers found that during fasting, our body undergoes calorie reduction, which reduces cancer risk and the effectiveness of the treatment. It shows a high tolerance to chemotherapy and lesser side effects like fatigue, nausea, and headaches compared with others who did not fast.
• Alter the effect of chronic conditions
  Researchers found that some clinical conditions like obesity and type 2 diabetes may be considered as ‘risk factors’ for cancer. Fasting reduces weight and has a positive impact on type 2 diabetes.
• Promotes cell regeneration
  Autophagy is a process that replaces unwanted cells and damaged parts. Due to a lack of autophagy process, the number of tumor-suppressing genes is decreased, which may cause cancer risk. One of the ways to trigger autophagy is fasting.
• Boosts the immune system
  According to a study, fasting triggers the stem cells of the immune system to regenerate themselves, refill white blood cells, and replace damaged cells. We know that white blood cells fight against infections and diseases. During chemotherapy, white blood cell levels go down and affect the body’s immunity system.