Best and Worst Foods and Drinks For Lung Cancer

A healthy diet can help manage symptoms, improve treatment tolerance, and aid recovery. Here’s a general guide on what to focus on and avoid:

The Best Foods and Drinks

When following a cancer diet, the focus is primarily on whole foods. These foods tend to contain high nutrients, which our body needs to fight or prevent cancer.

1.Whole Grains While you’ll want to stay away from refined grains (like white flour), whole grains offer plenty of nutrition, including fiber, antioxidants, vitamin E, selenium, and fatty acids; this can help improve lung health and function. Antioxidants further protect the lungs from damage caused by free radicals, which can lower your risk of cancer.

2.Fruits and Vegetables For optimal cancer nutrition, this is probably a no-brainer. For fruits, berries, like blueberries and strawberries, offer a great option due to their high antioxidant content. The pigment found in many berries, called anthocyanin, is thought even to reduce age-related lung decline.

Leafy greens are another great option here since the carotenoids in these veggies also act as antioxidants and boost the body’s defense. Other good choices include tomatoes, pears, and broccoli.Leafy greens are another great option here since the carotenoids in these veggies also act as antioxidants and boost the body’s defense. Other good choices include tomatoes, pears, and broccoli.

3.High-Fiber Foods This deserves a spot on this list in its own right. While many vegetables and fruits have high fiber, other foods, like beans, chai seeds, and quinoa, also contain plenty of fiber. Research indicates that lung function is better in those that follow a higher-fiber diet compared to those that eat less fiber.

4.Coffee Coffee lovers, rejoice! That morning cup o’ joe might be doing your lungs tons of good. There’s a correlation between lung health and coffee drinking! It’s thought the mechanism behind this is due to coffee’s powerful anti-inflammatory properties.

5.Green Tea This is one powerful drink! Packed with antioxidants, green tea can help take your health to the next level and reduce your cancer risk. Have this as your second coffee of the day, and it’ll work wonders on your health.

The Worst Foods and Drinks

So, let’s look at the other end of the cancer nutrition spectrum. What foods and drinks should you avoid?

1.Alcohol While many of us reach for a glass of wine after a long day, this actually might do more harm than good. Excessive drinking can impact liver and lung health.

2.High Sugary Beverages Excess sugar consumption is being finger-pointed for its role in the development of various chronic diseases, including cancer. Eating a diet high in sugar increases inflammation in the body which can contribute to poor health. Instead, opt for water or coffee.

3.Processed Deli Meat Surprisingly, there’s a link between processed meat consumption and worsening lung function. Researchers believe that the nitrites in these meats cause problems when it comes to the optimal functioning of the body, including the lungs. And yes, this, unfortunately, includes bacon, ham, salami, and sausages.

While it may be confusing to fully grasp how what we eat or drink may impact lung cancer, there are a few ways scientists theorize that eating healthy can improve one’s chances of getting and surviving lung cancer. What we eat impacts inflammation, cell metabolism, cell cycle control, and more — all of which may contribute to cancer.

Zepzelca for Metastatic Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC)

Zepzelca, or lurbinectedin, is an innovative chemotherapy drug approved for the treatment of metastatic small cell lung cancer (SCLC) in patients who have experienced disease progression after platinum-based chemotherapy. Developed by Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Zepzelca works by inhibiting RNA polymerase II, a key enzyme involved in the transcription process, thereby disrupting the cancer cell’s ability to replicate and proliferate. This unique mechanism of action distinguishes Zepzelca from traditional chemotherapy agents, offering a targeted approach for patients with limited treatment options.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, staying away from highly processed foods and focusing on a whole-food diet goes a long way in improving general health and reducing your cancer risk. It’s further important to note that what you do also matters! For instance, smoking is a huge risk factor when it comes to developing lung cancer later on. If you’re an avid smoker, it’s in your best interest to quit as soon as possible.

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