Why Sidhu’s ‘cancer-killing’ diet is no good. In fact, it’s bad

On November 21, Navjot Singh Sidhu, a former cricketer, ex-MP and television personality, held a press conference where he claimed his wife, who was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic cancer of the breast, was ‘cured.’ He was emotional and ecstatic, and this was good news all around. Any patient who has battled cancer and emerged victorious is an inspiration. As a hepatologist, which also includes the added role of treating liver cancer patients, this was a matter of great joy for me too. However, he then waded into the murky waters of natural and magical cures which he proclaimed had saved his wife, Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu. He credited an Ayurvedic way of life, a restrictive diet, and periods of fasting along with herbal decoctions as the reasons for the ‘disappearance’ of his wife’s cancer. My wife is clinically cancer free today ….. pic.twitter.com/x06lExML82

— Navjot Singh Sidhu (@sherryontopp) November 21, 2024 Obviously, he was called out by doctors and cancer survivors. Over 260 cancer specialists from Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai wrote a letter highlighting Sidhu’s complete lack of awareness about how medical science got his wife better and demystifying the role of traditional medicine practices in cancer treatment. However, Sidhu doubled down on his version of the miracle cure by posting his wife’s dietary plan. For a cancer specialist, this diet plan was terrifying. It featured already debunked medical myths like ‘alkaline water’ and multi-herb ‘healing’ water. It featured prolonged periods of intermittent fasting, consumption of a variety of expensive exotic fruits and nuts in the name of antioxidant therapy, the use of pink salt that is more expensive and impure compared to normal refined salt, and the inclusion of dangerous botanicals in daily diet. Diet Plan pic.twitter.com/BGmJfSMoo3

— Navjot Singh Sidhu (@sherryontopp) November 25, 2024 It was far from a proper diet required by a human battling cancer, leave alone one with cancer ‘curing’ properties. But Sidhu’s anecdotal experiences on the benefits of traditional practices and herbalism is as old as humanity itself. How Ayurveda advises treating cancerMuch of a layperson’s understanding of the role of complementary and alternative medicine in cancer stems from blind religiosity, cultural practices, and traditional beliefs. Add to these, ever-growing misinformation from the wellness industry and supposed health influencers, who promote products and services based on anecdotal evidence or poorly conducted preclinical studies. They often use scientific jargon that makes it difficult for the non-medical person to separate fact from fiction. Sidhu’s understanding of his wife’s cancer remission (not cure, because a recurrence remains unpredictable) was also flawed. Nonetheless, the use of the term ‘Ayurveda’ for everything herbal and botanical in the Indian healthcare context only showcases a lack of true understanding about what Ayurvedic classical texts described as treatments in ancient times. medium115737738Take the example of cancer itself, called arbuda (tumour) in Ayurvedic texts. In the Susruta Samhita, section Cikitsasthanam, the treatment of tumors in the Ayurvedic way consisted of putting a sharp horn into the patient’s body and removing blood frequently while feeding the individual herbs and castor oil mixed with milk. It also required external application of soft meat and soup made from boneless meat of animals. In other classical Ayurvedic texts such as the Ashtanga Hrydaya and Caraka Samhita, the treatments offered for tumours were terrifyingly exciting. After feeding the patient with herbal decoctions to induce vomiting, or enemas to induce diarrhoea, the physician would burn the tumour using a hot rod, apply herbal pastes, and excise burned tissues. But if the tumour was large, then it was required to apply honey to attract flies, which would then lay eggs in the tumour. The maggots that develop inside would “eat away” the tumour from within. Any residual tumour had to be burned away using a hot rod. Nothing that Sidhu did for his wife came from an Ayurvedic perspective. It was mostly unfounded traditional herbalism or folklore which he, like many others, might have identified from spectacularly misinformative YouTube videos that have spread worse than cancer on social and visual media. Myth about ‘cancer-killing’ diets and fastingThe diet plan offered as ‘cancer-beating’ is far from what clinical societies and nutritional guidelines recommend for cancer patients. Consumption of a diet high in proteins and calories is advised by the National Cancer Institute in the US. This essentially means that patients can be on animal, dairy (milk and milk products) and plant-based proteins to meet their required protein intake. Dietary guidelines state that cancer patients must consume high-protein foods first in their meal, while their appetite is strongest. This would include foods such as beans, chicken, fish, meat, yogurt, and eggs and patients are advised to limit certain foods that cause, or worsen, bloating and loss of appetite such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and cucumbers. mediumhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3IXgNEcJf0Patients are advised not to skip meals or snacks as this worsens appetite and nausea during cancer treatment. Complete avoidance of high sugar foods in diet is also not warranted. For example, when patients during cancer therapy develop dysgeusia (or abnormal taste) that worsens distaste for food, sucking on hard candies like peppermints or lemon drops can help. Similarly, high consumption of certain food items can worsen treatment-related events. For example, higher citrus fruit consumption was linked to worsening neuropathy (nerve inflammation and damage) in persons with advanced breast cancer on chemotherapy, said a DELCaP study. Breast cancer-specific survival did not differ among participants who were on a low-carbohydrate and plant-rich diet compared to those that were on a normal carbohydrate and mixed diet as per the Nurses’ Health Study II. There’s no recommendation for cancer patients to consume various spices, herbs, plant parts and a mixture of botanicals. That’s because there’s no conclusive evidence of cancer remission, or improved survival, from rigorous clinical trials. On similar lines, intermittent fasting or any fasting-mimicking diets are not approved, recommended, or beneficial for improving survival or reducing cancers. Fasting the cancer cells to death were mostly shown (rather weakly) in mice and cell studies, without large controlled studies in humans. The 2017 Lancet Oncology opinion report on fasting and starving cancer termed the method “quackery.” Avoiding extreme dietary patterns during cancer diagnosis and treatments and following a balance that prevents malnutrition is paramount in fighting cancer. This is quite a deviation from the spectacularly impoverished diet that Sidhu shared with millions of his followers and social media users, which could potentially endanger the lives of cancer patients.How effective are alternative medicine practices in treating cancer?The evidence is clear on where complementary and alternative medicine, such as Ayurveda, stand today in the treatment of cancers. In a large 2017 study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, doctors from the Yale School of Medicine found that patients with non-metastatic breast, lung, or large intestinal cancer who chose alternative therapies had substantially worse survival than patients who received standard cancer treatments. The risk of dying was higher (by as much as 250%) if the therapies used were “unproven”. Sidhu’s anecdotal experience mainly featured unproven therapies. Just because his spouse survived, the same cannot be said for others battling cancer who might embrace the disinformation spread by him. In another study, published in the journal JAMA Oncology in 2018, researchers found that patients who received alternative medicine were more likely to refuse additional standard of care, and therefore were at a higher risk of death.Ultimately, exactly as it was 2,000 years ago, treatments such as Ayurveda have consistently failed to showcase effectiveness in improving cancer patients' lives or reducing their cancer burden. The use of complementary and alternative medicine is at best a coping mechanism for those distressed by their diagnosis and worried about the difficult journey ahead. But this coping mechanism can harm more often than it helps. When we look deep down into the abyss of uncertainty of cancer treatment, the true beacon of hope always and forever remains the scientific method. Don’t believe me? The stunning CART T-cell, and the astonishing oncolytic virus treatments for devastating cancers are proofs that will make you believe. The future is bright when science and rationalism features in it. The writer is a senior consultant hepatologist and physician-scientist at The Liver Institute, Rajagiri Hospital, Aluva. His X handle is @theliverdr