For your best life after cancer: eat well and be physically active

The updated ACS guidelines on diet and physical activity aim to help cancer survivors reduce their risk of cancer recurrence and dying from cancer.

The recommendations for cancer survivors emphasize early nutrition and physical activity evaluation and counseling.

There are 2 general recommendations based on the best evidence for optimal cancer care that everyone should start as soon as possible after a cancer diagnosis.

Nutritional assessment and advice from a qualified professional. The goal is to prevent or treat nutritional deficiencies, preserve muscle mass, and manage treatment side effects, such as mouth sores or overwhelming fatigue, that could affect a person's ability to eat healthily.

It's easy to get incorrect and misguided nutritional advice from friends, on television, in vitamin stores, social media sites, and other places. But if you're at risk of malnutrition or dealing with food-related issues, your best bet for nutritional advice is with a registered dietitian (RD) or a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN). A dietitian will help you create a meal plan tailored to your needs and realistic for you. Anyone can call themselves a nutritionist, but dietitians have specialized training and must pass a national board exam. Many dietitians have additional training in oncology care.

__Marjorie McCullough, ScD, RD, lead author of the study

Here are some of the nutritional resources recommended in the updated guideline:

• Nutrition for People with Cancer, ACS
• Food Safety for People with Cancer, Infographic, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ASSESSMENT AND ADVICE FROM A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL

The goal is to help people prepare for treatments, tolerate and respond to treatments, and manage certain cancer symptoms and treatment side effects.

Physical activity offers many benefits to cancer survivors, both during and post-treatment. Not only can it improve survival for some cancers, but it can also help mitigate some symptoms and side effects of cancer treatment, like fatigue, anxiety, and depression. The American College of Sports Medicine's website features a searchable directory of its Moving Through Cancer program, which helps patients find cancer exercise professionals or programs in their community.

__Erika Rees-Punia, PhD, MPH, study author

Here are some of the physical activity resources recommended in the updated guideline:

• Physical Activity and the Person with Cancer, ACS
• Effects of Exercise on Health-Related Outcomes in People with Cancer, Infographic, American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)

RECOMMENDATIONS TO IMPROVE THE CHANCES OF A LONG, DISEASE-FREE LIFE.

The Guidelines for Nutrition and Physical Activity Survivors include several recommendations to improve long-term health after a cancer diagnosis.

• Avoid obesity and maintain or increase muscle mass through diet and physical activity.
• Follow a healthy diet that provides sufficient nutrients and helps reduce the risk of other chronic diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
• Regularly be physically active, customizing the activity based on the type of cancer, symptoms, overall health status, types of treatment, and treatment side effects. There is "sufficient" evidence that exercise during cancer treatment can help manage several treatment-related side effects, such as anxiety, depression, fatigue, physical function, bone health, sleep, and lymphedema.
• Follow the ACS guidelines on diet and physical activity for cancer prevention.

The evidence-based research is most significant and robust for breast cancer survivors.

There is enough evidence on breast cancer survivors to provide specific guidelines on nutrition, activity.

Diet and breast cancer