The placebo effect has often been used to explain why treatments like Laetrile seem to cure some cancer patients even though credible scientific studies have never found therapeutic value in such treatments. Good food that provides appropriate proportions of nutrients should not be regarded as a poison, a medicine, or a talisman. It should be eaten and enjoyed. What upset many was the board's conclusion that there was no specific dietary advice appropriate for all. The board recommended balance in food selection tempered with moderation in consumption.
Many people today have unrealistic notions about what nutrition can accomplish.
Certain enthusiasts even claim nutrition can cure cancer. Nutrition does play an important role in the prevention and treatment of cancer, but it is not a cure-all. This view is supported by Dr. Richard Rivlin, chief of nutrition services at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Nutrition is essential while a patient receives drug and radiation therapy. One technique, called hyper-alimentation, involves intravenous feeding with a concentrated solution of nutrients that enable the patient to maintain weight without eating.