Navjot Singh Sidhu recently addressed a press conference in Amritsar declaring his wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu cancer free. He shared how his wife was able to beat stage four cancer and emphasised the role of dietary and lifestyle changes in her recovery. Since then, he has received major backlash from the medical fraternity.

A little after this, oncologists questioned his claim about how a strict diet helped his wife defeat stage 4 cancer. Responding to all the criticism, the cricket commentator took to his official X handle, and shared the entire diet plan that his wife followed.

"A nutrient-dense diet consisting of spices, berries, nuts, seeds, leafy greens, and other whole foods can be known to support overall health and help with cancer prevention. It is the need of the hour to make informed choices and understand that diet alone is not a cure for cancer. The majority of food items recommended in the diet are known to have beneficial compounds like antioxidants, fiber, and phytochemicals which help to lower inflammation in the body. This diet further helps to increase immunity along with faster recovery," says By Dr Atul Narayankar, Consultant Medical Oncologist, Wockhardt Hospitals, Mira Road.

Pooja Shah Bhave, Consultant Dietician and Certified Diabetes Educator, on the other hand, says, "Yes we all have heard that eating right and having good nutrition helps prevent cancer but currently we have come across many cases of cancer that were cured with diet and naturopathy. Well, there is no sufficient research based evidence to support this claim and still the best safe available option is to go for a medical treatment like surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy."

She further added, "Having said that, we also cannot deny the fact that there are many cancer patients around the globe, who were in their fourth or fifth stage of cancer, which was incurable, and when they went on a complete plant based natural organic diet, their cancer was cured and eliminated completely."

A contrasting opinion came by Dr Abhishek Purkayastha, Consultant, Dept of Tomotherapy and Radiation Oncology, TGH Onco-Life Cancer Centre, who said, "Cancer can only be successfully managed with surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Diet is one of the components of treatment and not solely dependent on the diet."

Diet may have the power to nourish the body but it should be included with conventional treatments. As there is no proof, as of now, on how diet can completely eliminate cancer, one should focus on surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy when it comes to battling cancer. These treatments kill tumors and this approach cannot be replaced by diet alone. A healthy diet can aid faster recovery in cancer patients but not treat cancer. It is imperative to strictly adhere to the guidelines given by the doctor and be mindful before starting any diet on your own.

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