Managing diabetes and avoiding its various complications in itself is an arduous job. Getting diagnosed with cancer can multiply these complications and pose a greater mortality risk in diabetes patients.
Chemotherapy and other treatment therapies can cause uncontrolled blood sugar levels in diabetes patients which could make things difficult for them.
It is important to manage diabetes during and after cancer treatment.
"One may be more focused on managing a cancer diagnosis, but diabetes care is very critical to the health and can affect the success of a treatment plan. During treatment, the focus should be on cancer treatment while keeping the blood sugar levels in check. Thus, it is important to manage diabetes as well to ensure your body can tolerate and benefit from chemotherapy, radiation, or other modalities," says Dr. Jitendra Pahlajani, Medical Oncology, HCG Cancer Centre Jaipur.
How cancer treatment can raise your blood glucose levels and complicate things
Chemotherapy therapy is known to cause hyperglycemia, an increase in blood sugar levels which may lead to dehydration and strain organs and the immune system.
"Uncontrolled blood sugar levels can have a negative impact on other organs. Monitoring blood sugar levels can help keep them healthy during cancer treatment. The euglycemia or normal concentration of glucose in the blood is achieved by diet and anti-diabetic drugs are associated with better outcomes," adds Dr. Pahlajani.
Tips for cancer patients with diabetes
A healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can help control your sugar levels in case of diabetes or pre-diabetes.
"Try to understand requirements of diet and lifestyle modifications and how it may impact your cancer treatment. This will help to take better care of yourself and reduce diabetes complications. Maintain a healthy diet. Consume a lot of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Limit the intake of red meat and processed foods you eat. Watch out for your portion sizes," advises the expert.
Here are other tips
● Exercise regularly and stay fit. Aim for moderate physical activity or vigorous exercise every day.
● For cancer prevention, limit your alcohol intake. It is high in calories and sugar. Research shows that heavy drinking can damage cells and lead to cancer.
● Monitor your blood sugar. Managing blood sugars within the target range may help in preventing infection, nausea, fatigue, and other challenges.
● Managing stress is very important. Dealing with cancer can be stressful and its treatments can cause your body to release various hormones that increase blood sugar. This can weaken the immune system. Stress management strategies can help one feel more relaxed and less anxious.
● Make healthy lifestyle choices. In addition to staying on track with plans for managing sugar, eating healthy, and reducing stress, as you are undergoing cancer treatment, is important. Avoid smoking and using recreational drugs. This will help in keeping blood sugars under control and enables your body to heal during cancer treatment.
Sweet cravings can be hard to deal with. While you would desperately want to bite into your favorite sugary cakes, you would also want to keep your health on track. When in such a dilemma, opt for desserts that can be made with sugar substitutes like jaggery and honey. You can also use berries and dates that add sweetness to any dish. Nutritionist Lovneet Batra says, in order to drive away sweet cravings, just dive into a whole wheat ragi cake that is rich with dates and walnuts. This cake will not only keep your blood sugar levels in check but will also add other essential nutrients to your diet.
The nutritionist elaborates how this cake recipe will benefit your health. She posted about the cake and wrote in the caption, "This whole wheat ragi cake with the sprinkle of dates and walnuts is one of the healthiest cakes you can bake for yourself and your loved ones. This cake recipe is the easiest to put together and has all the healthy ingredients a cake can ever have that offers us a lot of health benefits."
The cake's healthiest ingredients are ragi, walnuts, and dates. Here's how each of these ingredients can provide important nutrients to your body:
1) Ragi
Ragi, also known as finger millet, is a cereal crop that is rich in calcium. Calcium is vital for strengthening bones, especially in growing children. Ragi can provide the necessary amount of calcium that is required by the body. Ragi also contains high amounts of fibers, which slows down the pace of digestion. This, in turn, helps lower the blood sugar level in people and also presents late-night cravings.
2) Dates
Dates are known as healthy sweetening ingredients in many dishes. Apart from that, dates are rich sources of folic acid that can increase the body's immunity. It can also help build the body's resistance to cancers. Dates are also a healthy way to treat abdominal problems as they show anti-dysentery and laxative effects.
3) Walnuts
Walnuts are one of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which can be used to treat brain injuries and enhance cognitive function. Walnuts are also rich in fiber and protein that help satiate the body's nutritional needs without increasing the body weight.
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