Nutrient-Dense, Plant-Rich (NDPR) Diet in Cancer Survivors: Case Series

Abstract

Adherence to healthy lifestyle behaviors in cancer survivors has the potential to reduce the risk of recurrence and improve quality of life. Although whole diet intervention studies in cancer survivors are scarce, the available evidence supports a plant-based diet, and the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) recommends following cancer prevention diet and lifestyle guidelines to reduce the risk of recurrence. There is sufficient evidence to presume that the same phytochemical-rich foods that have been shown to reduce the risk of developing cancer (prevention) are beneficial and lifespan promoting for those who have a diagnosis of cancer. The nutrient-dense, plant-rich (NDPR) diet (also called a Nutritarian diet) is a plant-based diet that places emphasis on foods with evidence backing anti-tumor activity such as inhibition of proliferation and angiogenesis, apoptosis promotion, anti-inflammatory effects, and induction of the master regulator of detoxification and antioxidant response nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2): leafy green vegetables, beans, garlic and onion, seeds and nuts, mushrooms, berries, and other carotenoid-rich fruits and vegetables, assuring rich sources of phytonutrients and plant lignans. Here, we present seven cases of patients who had adopted the NDPR diet following a cancer diagnosis and conveyed details of their results. Patients generally reported improved quality of life, intentional weight loss, no recurrence, and improvement in other aspects of health in the years after cancer diagnosis provoked their dietary change.