Chinese New Year diet dos and don'ts for cancer patients

Chinese New Year is just around the corner. Liquor will flow, Yusheng will be tossed. Are there any dietary dos and don’ts during this festive period for cancer patients?

Chemotherapy has a suppressive effect on the immune system and puts one at greater risk of infection from food sources.

Raw fish or meat dishes are particularly risky. With raw fish served with a variety of shredded raw vegetables, the ever-popular dish of Yusheng, which is thought to usher in good luck for the New Year, should probably be given a miss.

Plentiful food on the dinning table with lots to spare is considered auspicious during the New Year celebration, as it is believed to signify a bountiful year ahead.

It also means that, following the celebration, there will be a lot of leftovers in the few days ahead.

Reheating and eating overnight food has the virtue of reducing food wastage but runs the risk of higher bacterial contamination and infection for patients on chemotherapy.

Dining out is usually not a problem, but do select venues with good hygiene standards and avoid raw food and items that are pre-prepared and left on display for some time.

Heavy meals with high oil and fat content, if taken close to the timing of certain oral anti-cancer medications, may potentially increase the rate and amount of medication absorbed in the digestive system leading to an effect similar to overdosing with exaggerated side effects.

Very spicy food potentially aggravates the problem of diarrhoea, not infrequently encountered as a side effect of some forms of chemotherapy.

During festivities, for many, there can be no little fun without liquor.

Liquor, however, does present a problem for patients on treatment. Alcohol can be very irritating to the lining of the mouth and throat that is sensitized by chemotherapy. Generally speaking, the higher the alcohol content, the more adverse the effect.

Further, the liver is working extra time to detoxify the numerous drugs in the body. Adding the work of detoxifying alcohol on top of this will overburden the liver.

Substituting tea or coffee for liquor is not necessarily problem-free. Caffeine from excessive amount of coffee and tea may bring on the problem of nausea for patients on chemotherapy.

For patients who have completed their cancer treatment and have largely recovered, restrain from overeating this period. Excessive weight gain following recuperation is associated with an elevated risk of cancer relapse in many instances. Breast cancer recurrence is time and again linked with obesity in clinical studies.

What about people who have never been diagnosed with cancer? Are they off the hook?

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization (WHO), released an estimate of the incidence of cancer caused by being overweight in November last year.

Half a million new cases of cancer diagnosed worldwide every year is attributable to being overweight.

For those who still need convincing that the traditional Chinese saying that an increased girth is a sign of prosperity is not necessarily to their advantage, this report should carry some “weight”.

Toss Yusheng by all means, but be sure not to toss away caution.

This piece was written by Dr. Wong Seng Weng, medical director and consultant specialising in medical oncology at The Cancer Centre, a Singapore Medical Group (SMG) clinic.