Nutrition and Oncology: How Personalized Nutrition Can Enhance Cancer Therapies

Introduction

Scientific research is increasingly highlighting the crucial impact of nutrition on the healing process in oncology. Specifically, proper nutritional modulation can not only protect healthy cells from the side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy but also make tumor cells more vulnerable to these treatments.

Since 2018, major studies and reviews have emphasized this concept, providing growing evidence that a personalized nutritional approach—capable of controlling blood sugar, inflammation, and the patient’s overall nutritional status—can improve long-term therapeutic outcomes. In the following section, we will explore how nutrients regulate the immune system and why glycation and inflammation are two key factors that must be monitored. Finally, we will examine some emerging perspectives on the role of short-term fasting, low-carbohydrate diets, and other dietary strategies that can be combined with oncological protocols.

1. A Personalized Nutritional Approach to Support Therapies

Recent studies (including a 2018 review published in Frontiers in Oncology https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5951973/) have shown that tailored nutrition, in conjunction with cancer therapy, can enhance immune responses. Specifically:

• Protection of healthy cells: A balanced diet that provides micronutrients such as zinc, selenium, and manganese can help protect healthy cells from the side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
• Activation of the immune system: Certain nutrients or specific protocols (such as intermittent fasting) can help maintain immune system “surveillance” and promote tumor cell destruction.
• Reduced glycation: Experimental and clinical data indicate that limiting glycemic load, for example, through short fasting before chemotherapy, can sensitize tumor cells, making them more susceptible to the effects of antineoplastic drugs.

These strategies do not replace conventional cancer therapies but rather complement them, aiming to maximize their benefits and minimize side effects.

2. Glycation and Metabolism: Fundamental to Cancer Therapies

Enhancing the effectiveness of cancer therapies through nutrition relies on controlling glycation and carbohydrate metabolism.

• Glycation: This is a chemical process that occurs when there is an excess of sugar in the blood. Proteins and lipids can bind to sugar in a non-enzymatic manner, altering cellular structures. When this occurs extensively, glycation promotes inflammation and makes tumor cells more resistant.
• Short-term fasting, intermittent fasting, and the ketogenic diet: These dietary strategies have been studied (as described in a study published in Cancers in July 2020 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7409312/) for their ability to reduce the “fuel” available to tumor cells. By influencing sugar metabolism, they reactivate T-lymphocyte function, making innovative treatments like immune checkpoint inhibitors more effective.
• Side effects: Careful modulation of blood sugar levels can also mitigate the toxicities of certain therapies by preventing metabolic overload, which could otherwise lead to adverse reactions.

3. The Role of Macrophages and Inflammation

When discussing the immune system, “noble” cells such as T-lymphocytes are often highlighted, but macrophages also play a crucial role in fighting tumor cells.

• Macrophage function: Sometimes referred to as the body’s “garbage collectors,” macrophages intervene when there is damage or infection to eliminate debris and pathogens. However, their role is much more strategic: they actively participate in inflammatory processes and modulate them depending on the context.
• Macrophage polarization: A 2019 article published in Trends in Cancer (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7187927/) shows that macrophages can be “polarized” in an antitumor direction by regulating amino acid availability and, more importantly, sugar metabolism.
• Inflammation and nutrition: Controlling inflammation through a balanced diet (low in refined carbohydrates and sugars, rich in micronutrients) helps maintain macrophages in an optimally functional state and strengthens their ability to destroy tumor cells.

4. Emerging Perspectives and Practical Applications

The most advanced guidelines and recommendations (such as those from the World Cancer Research Fund from 2007 to the present) emphasize the importance of evaluating and modulating inflammation and glycation to support cancer treatment. Some practical examples:

• Short-term fasting before chemotherapy: Some patients in experimental protocols have experienced benefits by combining a controlled fasting day, the intake of metformin (a drug that affects sugar metabolism), and an almost carbohydrate-free diet during drug administration.
• Testing for inflammation and glycation: In specialized centers like SMA (as mentioned by the author of this article) and others, tests can be performed to assess inflammatory response (PerMè test) and individual glycemic profiles to develop the most suitable nutritional strategy for each patient.
• Multidisciplinary collaboration: Oncologists, nutritionists, and researchers work together to define protocols in which medications and diet plans act synergistically. The goal is to improve therapeutic efficacy while reducing relapses and side effects.

Conclusions

The growing body of scientific data confirms that nutrition is not a secondary factor but a decisive one in the treatment of cancer patients. Changes in dietary habits and monitoring of parameters such as glycation and inflammation can enhance immune responses, increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and minimize damage to healthy tissues.

In the coming years, it is likely that integrated protocols combining cancer therapies with personalized nutritional plans will become the standard, paving the way for more targeted and effective treatments. In this context, specialized laboratories such as GEK Lab offer in-depth analysis tools to assess each individual’s metabolic and inflammatory status, enabling a “tailored” approach that places the patient’s holistic health at the center.