Hippocrates is reported to have stated, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”.

 

In oncology, food is important in many aspects, since it nourishes the patient. Good nutrition associated with clinical treatment has great effects on the patient's healing.

 

In recent years many scientific studies have pointed to the role of substances in animal and plant products as having important effects on human physiology. In some cases these substances can be useful in combating some diseases. The clearest example in this respect is nutrition with red meat, dark green vegetables and legumes containing high levels of iron in the treatment of iron deficiency anemia, the use of citrus fruits, containing vitamin C in the prevention of scurvy, and the use of milk, eggs and fish that are rich in iodine, used for the prevention of goitre.

 

The term nutraceutical, a neologism of the words nutrient and pharmaceutical, was originally coined by Dr. Stephen DeFelice [1], who defined nutraceuticals as "food, or part of a food, that provides medical or health benefits, including the prevention and/or treatment of a disease".

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In this section we will deal with the effects that nutraceuticals have in helping to treat cancer.

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1. Stephen L. DeFelice, The nutraceutical revolution: its impact on food industry R&D. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 1995. 6(2): p. 59-61.

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