Perhaps all cancers can be traced to dysfunctions in our immune systems, but by their very definition, blood cancers are caused by genetic mutations within immune cells. When I began my treatment, despite the hours and hours of research into scientific archives, I couldn’t decide if antioxidants and superfoods would hurt or harm me.

After all, isn’t a blood cancer basically a broken immune system on overdrive? Of course, some leukemias are characterized by a marked lack of certain white cells, but in that case too the body is trying to kill all the broken cells. So I wouldn’t want to enhance my overworked immune system, right?

However, the interdiction against consuming antioxidants during active treatment is now considered passé. There are few studies tracing the effect of a nutrition-dense diet started after diagnosis, but there do exist studies demonstrating the positive correlation between long-term survival and high pre-diagnosis fruits/vegetable intake. In fact, recent research by Dr. William Li further supports the idea that an anti-cancer diet must include fruits and vegetables containing immune-boosting compounds. The following video focuses on solid cancers, but the foods listed at minute 12:58 support proper whole system functioning and anti-angiogenesis.

The idea that we can eat well to prevent cancer has been gaining ground over the past decade or so. Yet if that is the case, why do doctors rarely emphasize proper nutrition during treatment? I was lucky to be treated at one of the premier cancer hospitals in the world, but even there, I was left with a short recommendation to eat a good diet “like normal”. Except, if I’d been eating correctly from childhood, I would not have been as predisposed to getting ill as I was.

Eating the proper foods within a nutrient-dense diet is a must for any person diagnosed with cancer. If immunotherapies are becoming the norm for targeted treatment, then it makes sense that supporting the body and its systems becomes your priority. Furthermore, when undergoing treatment (be it radiotherapy or chemo), the body becomes rapidly depleted of essential vitamins and minerals as it works to repair damage caused by the treatment itself. Not only does the body continue fighting against the damaged cells, it has an additional load to deal with as it clears out the side-casualties of our medical warfare. In my case, I had to take extra B vitamins to help my neuropathy and iron for when my red cell count fell enough to warrant transfusions. This occurred despite my efforts to eat for maximum nutrition.

Studies indicate that increased dietary antioxidant intake is inversely associated with risk of blood cancers. This study found that high vitamin A intake correlated with a lower overall risk of NHL, and a high vitamin C intake is related with a 69% decrease in Diffuse Large B-Cell lymphoma. Of course, most people in developed countries are not overtly malnourished. We may not be maxed out on vitamins, but we are usually reaching minimum recommended intake levels. However, treatment will naturally cause a reduction in antioxidant status as the body tries to reduce oxidative stress. In certain cases, a reduction of antioxidant status is even correlated with the pathophysiology of cancer progression. This study found that a large percentage of children undergoing treatment for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) have inadequate intakes of antioxidants. What does this mean? An increased incidence of adverse treatment effects!

One of the most impactful studies I read during my pre-treatment research was this: high dietary intakes of vegetables, fruits, and antioxidants were associated with as much as a 60% decrease in NHL risk. I thought I had been eating well prior to my diagnosis. It is true that the cause of many cancers are still unknown. Many solid cancers can be directly linked to high exposure to carcinogens and low consumption of protective vitamins and minerals.  When it comes to blood cancers, many times the cause is a combination of factors, including genetic, viral, chemical and lifestyle. In my case, I ate a balanced diet and exercised more days than not. My job as a games producer was stressful though not overly so. But there was no escaping the fact that I had cancer. My sister couldn’t believe it. I was surely the healthiest person she knew. How could this be possible?

So I decided to do as much as I could to reduce the footprint of cancer-causing factors: you can’t help much how you are born, but you can make choices to flip off those epigenetic switches that allow cancer to develop. I reduced the carcinogenic chemicals in my life; I made sure I took appropriate anti-cancer supplements (which, depending on your cancer and treatment, should be timed to not interfere with therapy or aggravate your condition); and I changed how I eat. Lifestyle changes are both difficult and easy to implement. Your lifestyle speaks much about you. But when you’re diagnosed with cancer, your lifestyle will change no matter what. On one hand, this contributes to the loss of control we feel. Yet, it also allow us to make dramatic changes that can quite literally save our lives.

If all it took was eating strict and healthy to reduce side effects, increase the likelihood of remission, and support my body’s attempts to heal, then why wouldn’t I?

My recommendation:

• Follow an anti-cancer diet, and make sure to incorporate as many anti-cancer superfoods as you can stomach.