A nutritious diet is always vital for your body to work at its best. Good nutrition is even more important for people with cancer.
Patients cope better with side effects of treatment if they eat well.
Patients who eat well may be able to handle a higher dose of certain treatments. A healthful diet can help keep up your strength, prevent body tissues from breaking down, and rebuild tissues that cancer treatment may harm. Your natural defenses will be weaker and you cannot fight infection as well when you are unable to eat enough food or the right kind of food. This is because your body uses stored nutrients as a source of energy. Your body's defense system is especially important to you now because cancer patients are often at risk of getting an infection.