Knowledge centre

Nutrition & lifestyle

Evidence-based lifestyle information to discuss with your clinician — never a substitute for prescribed treatment.

Rehabilitation · 5 min read

Physical activity during and after cancer treatment

Guidelines recommend around 150 minutes of moderate activity a week plus twice-weekly resistance work, adjusted for neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, bone metastases and cardiac status.

Exercise oncology evidence associates regular activity with reduced fatigue, better maintenance of lean mass and improved quality of life during treatment.

Activity must be individualised. Bone metastases, severe anaemia, uncontrolled arrhythmia and recent surgery all require specific modification agreed with your team.

Nutrition · 4 min read

Nutrition claims to treat with caution

No diet has been shown to cure cancer or reverse established organ damage. Restrictive regimes can cause clinically significant malnutrition during treatment.

Adequate protein and energy intake supports tolerance of treatment. Unintentional weight loss should be reported and assessed by a registered dietitian.

Some supplements interact with prescribed medicines — St John's wort with many oncology and psychiatric drugs, high-dose vitamin K with warfarin, grapefruit with several agents metabolised by CYP3A4. Always disclose supplements to your prescriber.

These articles are general education reviewed by our clinical editorial team. They are not tailored to your circumstances and do not constitute medical advice, diagnosis or a recommendation to start, stop or change any treatment.