Is a Plant-Based Diet Good for Lung Cancer Patients?

I've been on an (almost) vegan diet for more than a month now, and I'm feeling better than ever! My last blood work (on Oct 14, about three weeks after I started vegan) looked great:

• Total protein and albumin: Both values are within the normal range, indicating that my protein intake and utilization are adequate.
• WBC, neutrophils, and platelets: All within the normal range, which suggests my immune function is stable—a positive outcome while undergoing treatment.

You’ve probably heard that a plant-based diet has many health benefits, including cancer prevention (Good resource: NutritionFacts.org). But surprisingly, there’s little information out there specifically for people who already have cancer. I recently read a study that felt particularly relevant:

Wang et al., 2023 "Plant-based dietary patterns and lung cancer mortality: a perspective cohort study" (Link to study)

Note: This study is behind a paywall, but I purchased access.

According to the study:

Satija et al. (2016) identified three plant-based diet indices (PDIs): an overall plant-based diet index (PDI), a healthy PDI (hPDI), and an unhealthy PDI (uPDI). They categorized foods as follows:

• Healthy plant foods: whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, vegetable oils, and tea/coffee
• Less healthy plant foods: fruit juices, sugar-sweetened beverages, refined grains, potatoes, and sweets/desserts
• Animal foods: animal fats, dairy, eggs, fish/seafood, meat (poultry and red meat), and other animal-based foods

The study looked at a group of 408 newly diagnosed lung cancer patients aged 18 to 79. Their dietary intake was assessed using a validated 111-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), and they were assigned PDI, hPDI, and uPDI scores based on the types of foods they consumed.

The study found a significant inverse relationship between high hPDI scores and lung cancer mortality. However, no significant association was found between overall PDI or uPDI and lung cancer mortality. In other words, while simply eating more plant-based foods isn’t necessarily linked to a lower risk, eating more healthy plant foods—like whole grains, nuts, and vegetables—could make a real difference.

My Takeaways

I've been mindful about distinguishing between healthy and unhealthy plant foods from the start—I don’t drink fruit juice and limit my intake of added sugars. Reading this study reassured me that these choices are on the right track!

Since switching to a vegan diet, I’ve noticed my energy levels have improved, and my digestion feels more balanced, which makes me want to keep going with this approach.

I’ve also heard that methionine restriction can benefit cancer patients, and since this is related to a plant-based diet, I’m thinking about exploring it further. I may follow up on this in a future post.