Budwig diet has not been shown to have an effect on cancer patients
There is good evidence to indicate that diet plays a role in the risk of developing cancer.
A diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables and minimizes red meat in general is a good recipe for lowering the risk of cancer. However, once a person develops cancer, there is little evidence to indicate that radical diets had any effect at all.
Recently, I have noticed in my medical practice that a number of patients with newly diagnosed cancer have started the Budwig diet. Despite the advertising on the Internet, the Budwig diet has no role in the treatment of cancer.
The Budwig diet is the brainchild of Joanna Budwig, who was born in Germany in 1908 and died in 2003. She had a degree in pharmacy and a Ph.D. in both physics and chemistry.
Much of her research dealt with fatty acid metabolism. During her research she developed the hypothesis that specific fats control the expression of cancer. Today there is increasing research that specific fats can reduce or increase the risk of cancer.
As a result of her research, Dr. Budwig proposed that a diet composed of specific fats would cure cancer. Unfortunately, this dietary protocol does not seem to have any effect on cancer whatsoever.
The hallmark of the Budwig diet is flaxseed oil and cottage cheese. She felt that the oils in flaxseed and cottage cheese would negatively affect the growth of cancer cells.
In addition, her diet also recommended high-fiber fruits and vegetables, preferably raw. This diet also recommends avoiding refined sugar and grains, animal fats, salad oil, meats, butter, and margarine, caffeine, liquor, tobacco, and any and all processed foods.
In this regard, it is not significantly different from any other "cancer" diets.
Although this diet has been recommended for many years, there is actually no clinical research as to its effectiveness. There are numerous personal testimonials but there have been no clinical trials, case studies or independent verification in the medical literature.
There are, however, more than 160,000 entries on Google for the search terms "Budwig diet," implying some level of validity.
Intrinsically there is nothing wrong with this diet. The only concern is B vitamin deficiency. The problem is that some people forgo more traditional medical therapies believing that the Budwig diet is their road to cure.
The medical literature suggests that the combination of traditional and nontraditional medicine, for many cancers may be more effective than either traditional or nontraditional medicine alone.
However, the idea that flaxseed and cottage cheese will cure cancer is not supported by any research and is highly unlikely.
For my patients with cancer, I do recommend specific dietary approaches with the idea of enhancing their nutritional state. A well-nourished person has the best chance for survival and cure.
I do not believe that the Budwig diet has any role as a stand-alone therapy for the treatment of cancer.
• Patrick B. Massey, MD, PH.D., is medical director for complementary and alternative medicine at Alexian Brothers Hospital Network and president of ALT-MED Medical and Physical Therapy, 1544 Nerge Road, Elk Grove Village. His website is www.alt-med.org.