Think before supplementing

Certain supplements may be harmful if you have been diagnosed with cancer and are currently undergoing treatment, warns Dr Monish Raut

Indian rhubarb root

Soursop

Nowadays, most of us feel better after including a vitamin, mineral, and natural therapy programme in our everyday life. In situations where a regular diet alone is insufficient, nutritional supplements are intended to fill the gaps. They have the potential to reduce the risk of developing specific illnesses, ease the pain they cause, and enhance the general quality of life if used properly. But are they safe to use while undergoing cancer chemotherapy? Certain supplements may be harmful if you have been diagnosed with cancer and are currently undergoing treatment. Some of them may even interfere with chemotherapy and other cancer therapies. Cancer patients should always consult their doctors before taking any supplements.

What are dietary supplements?

The many different kinds of nutritional supplements available today include vitamins and minerals, botanicals, amino acids, and enzymes. They can be found in a variety of forms, such as pills, candies, powders, and liquids. Similar to how traditional pharmaceuticals are made, dietary supplements are not intended to treat, prevent, or cure disease.

Do all dietary supplements need to follow rules?

They are not subject to the same level of regulation as OTC or prescription medications. Producers of dietary supplements are actually free to state whatever they like about their goods as long as they meet these rules:

Avoid making specific medical claims.

Ensure that supplements are clean and clearly labelled.

Have evidence to back up claims that a product addresses nutrient deficiency or
supports health.

Include a disclaimer that the FDA hasn’t assessed the claim.

When dealing with cancer, are there any nutrients that should be avoided?

If you get all the vitamins and minerals you need from your food, you probably don’t need a supplement. Even when receiving cancer treatment, a general multivitamin may be beneficial if you are unable to get the required nutrients from your food.
Also, your doctor might advise taking a supplement if you currently have a vitamin deficiency or are at risk of developing one as a result of cancer treatment.
For instance, certain cancer treatments may be detrimental to bone health.
Your doctor might advise calcium and vitamin D to aid with this. Due to the possibility of medication depletion, your doctor may also suggest taking potassium and magnesium supplements during chemotherapy.

Supplements for cancer patients?

To reduce the number of pills you have to take and the possibility of adverse reactions, it is preferable to delay using dietary supplements until after cancer treatment is over as certain herbs and supplements may have ingredients that interfere with the body’s normal processing of chemotherapy, rendering the medications less effective against cancer cells or more hazardous to the body than intended. In contrast, other treatments, such as multivitamins taken regularly, don’t seem to improve the odds of recurrence or survival. The liver’s metabolism of chemotherapeutic treatments may be altered by the use of several herbal medicines and other nutraceuticals.

St John’s wort: This plant-based herb has been used for generations to treat mild to moderate depression, and it has recently been shown to boost the production of an enzyme that degrades certain chemicals and poisons, including many of the compounds used in chemotherapy medicines.

Oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruits: Grapefruit, a common dietary supplement, suppresses liver enzymes and may interfere with the effects of beta blockers.

Acai berry: The antioxidant characteristics that make the acai berry so famous for health might also make it incompatible with several types of chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Burdock root, slippery elm inner bark, sheep sorrel, and Indian rhubarb root: These come together in the herbal combination known as Essiac, which has anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties. However, it also alters the metabolic processes in the liver, which may reduce the efficacy of chemotherapy.

Soursop, or Graviola: This fruit grows on the Graviola tree and is used to manufacture juice, candy, and ice cream due to its very sweet flesh and taste. Soursop fruit and Graviola leaves have been used by traditional herbalists in the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central and South America to cure stomach issues, fever, infections, and other disorders. Since soursop has not been researched in humans, ingesting it as a tea brewed from the leaves and stems of the Graviola might cause problems with balance like Parkinson’s disease and neurotoxicity.

(The author is an academician.)