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Living with cancer: our advice

When you’re going through cancer treatment, we know you experience all sorts of side-effects and have lots of queries relating to what you eat and drink, and how much physical activity you need.

Here, we try to cover the most common questions about diet and exercise during cancer treatment.

Keeping active
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Keeping active

It’s safe and beneficial for people with cancer to keep physically active

Why exercise is important
Home workouts
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Home workouts

What exercises can I do at home during or after cancer treatment?

Get some advice
Staying strong
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Staying strong

Are there any nutrition tips that could help support my fitness goals?

Things you can do to help
Mouth problems
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Mouth problems

A sore, dry mouth and thick saliva are some of the most common mouth problems

Ease these problems
Heartburn
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Heartburn

Nutritional tips for heartburn during cancer treatment

Ease heartburn symptoms
Fatigue — extreme tiredness
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Fatigue — extreme tiredness

What can help?

Read our tips
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Taste changes
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Taste changes

How can I deal with a change or loss of taste as a result of treatment?

How to change your diet
Reduced immunity
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Reduced immunity

Nutritional tips to reduce the risk of infections

What can I do?
Beyond treatment
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Beyond treatment

How long will it take for my taste to return to normal?

Read more about taste changes
Reliable advice
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Reliable advice

Is this advice based on the latest scientific evidence?

Find out more
Vegan diets
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Vegan diets

Can a vegan diet delay or stop the growth of cancer cells?

Explore dietary guidance
Meat and cancer
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Meat and cancer

Can I eat meat if I have cancer or have had cancer?

Understand meat and cancer
Should I avoid sugar if I have cancer?
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Should I avoid sugar if I have cancer?

If I avoid sugar will it starve the cancer cells?

Sugar and diet guidance
Does sugar cause cancer growth?
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Does sugar cause cancer growth?

Is eating sugar bad when you have cancer?

More about sugar and cancer
Soy and breast cancer
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Soy and breast cancer

Should I avoid soy if I have breast cancer?

What do the studies say
Constipation
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Constipation

Infrequent bowel movements can be helped by eating more fibre

Overcoming constipation
Supplements
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Supplements

Should I take dietary supplements during cancer treatment?

Our advice
Protein and cancer
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Protein and cancer

What benefits does protein intake have during cancer treatment?

Get protein guidance
Vitamin D, prostate and breast cancer
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Vitamin D, prostate and breast cancer

Should I take vitamin D if I have or have had breast or prostate cancer?

Find out more
E-news for you
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E-news for you

Our Living with Cancer e-news offers advice and support on nutrition and cancer

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Does cancer affect my bone health?
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Does cancer affect my bone health?

Does cancer increase the risk of bone thinning?

Protect your bones
Weight loss
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Weight loss

Practical nutrition tips you can use for weight loss during cancer treatment

What can help
Weight gain
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Weight gain

I need tips for unwanted weight gain during cancer

Coping with weight gain
Diarrhoea
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Diarrhoea

What can I do if I have diarrhoea during cancer treatment?

Manage diarrhoea
Nausea (feeling sick)
A simple illustration of a plate with a knife and fork crossed over it, set against a yellow background with a large, light-coloured right-facing arrow.

Nausea (feeling sick)

Sickness and nausea can make even your favourite food a turn-off, but there are things that can help

How to beat nausea
Wind
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Wind

Help if you’re passing wind more often than usual and finding it uncomfortable.

Dealing with wind problems
Can people with cancer go swimming?
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Can people with cancer go swimming?

Swimming can help manage some of the side-effects of cancer and treatment.

What are the benefits
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Preventing cancer. Saving lives

While society continues to search for a cure, our prevention and survival work helps people to live longer, healthier lives – free from the devastating effects of cancer.