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Supplement Savvy for Cancer: What are Medical Foods?

By Jill Place, MA, RD

What They Are. . .

Cancer makes your body use food differently. Cancer can cause a drain on your immune system. Cancer can cause digestive problems as your gut struggles to work in the toxic environment of chemotherapy and other treatments. Cancer can contribute to such conditions as diabetes. Cancer leaves you tired, malnourished, and sometimes too thin.

Medical foods from Metagenics® and a low-allergy diet may help. Medical foods are super foods for the 21st century. They're powdered high-quality vegetarian combinations of food components, vitamins, minerals, and other nutritive substances that are formulated to provide nutrition support for the whole body while also targeting certain diseases or conditions. Cutting-edge scientific research goes into the creation of these products that may have profound positive effects upon inflammation, immune deficiency, liver health, diabetes, hormone imbalance, or digestive problems. Nutrients in all these medical foods are contained in a low-allergy rice base that can also help promote digestive health. Medical foods provide targeted, concentrated nutrition to nourish body systems instead of treating symptoms.

These products are nutritionally complete for each condition so that little extra supplementation is necessary. Condition-specific, low-allergy diets are also suggested. All foods that may cause sensitivities of any kind are limited or removed from your diet. These recommended diets are varied but most have lots of fruits and vegetables, lots of fiber from whole grains, beans, and legumes, and low-fat protein from fish, chicken, turkey, and game.

What They Do. . .

Here are individual descriptions for each medical food:

UltraInflamX™

UltraInflamX is a great way to begin your experience with medical foods. The nutrients in UltraInflamX may be anti-inflammatory and might be able to help those with Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Fibromyalgia, and Bronchial Asthma. UltraInflamX might also a good idea for anyone who is immune-compromised or has autoimmune conditions, like cancer patients.

UltraInflamX has antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and other ingredients such as glutamine, curcumin, ginger, quercetin, rutin, hesperidin, limonene, and rosemary that may decrease inflammation, boost the immune system, and provide a low-allergy environment to heal your gut.

UltraInflamX might be ideal to use after chemotherapy and radiation. Treatments may inflame your gut and upset the delicate balance between the friendly and unfriendly bacteria there. UltraInflamX may help repair damage from treatment and restore bacterial balance. UltraInflamX also has ingredients to give nutrition support to your liver to rid your body of harmful chemotherapy chemicals and to lessen cancer-causing free radicals from radiation. In addition, this medical food may boost an immune system depleted by treatment.

The low-allergy diet plan that comes with UltraInflamX is the most restrictive of all the medical-food plans. There are many foods that may cause inflammation or deplete the immune system. Therefore, the suggested diet is dairy-free, gluten-free, nightshade-free, and low-acid. All suspect foods are taken out of your diet so your body has a better chance of being nourished.

UltraClear® and UltraClear Plus®

These two medical foods help the liver in its job of clearing the body of harmful substances. UltraClear may aid in general nutritional support for the liver while UltraClear Plus helps the ultra-sensitive person that may suffer from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, chemical or environmental sensitivities, food intolerances, migraine headaches, or other problems.

UltraClear and UltraClear Plus are the ideal maintenance products after you've finished a month or so with UltraInflamX. The suggested diet is similar but slightly less restrictive than the UltraInflamX meal plan. You can then continue with the dietary suggestions and/or have one serving of either of these products to provide continuing nutrition support.

UltraClear Sustain®

UltraClear Sustain is the companion product to UltraClear and UltraClear Plus. It's meant for those with digestive disorders like Irritable Bowel Syndrome and "Leaky Gut" caused by the breakdown of the protective gut barrier. It has added Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and Inulins to feed friendly bacteria and re-establish them in the gut.

This gut support is called the 4R® program. The 4Rs are:

Remove. . .gut parasites, any other unfriendly bacteria, or anything else that may cause dysfunction, including removing foods that may cause allergies, sensitivities, or other intolerances.

Replace. . .digestive aids such as enzymes and any other substances that the body doesn't make enough of to normalize gut, liver, pancreatic, and other functions.

Reinoculate. . .with friendly bacteria, or Probiotics.

Repair . . .the protective barrier of the gut.

UltraClear Sustain should not initially be used in a low-allergy diet program if overgrowth of unfriendly bacteria is suspected. The FOS and Inulins may feed these unfriendly bacteria and cause worse gut problems. UltraClear Sustain might work well as a maintenance product once the balance of friendly and unfriendly bacteria has been reestablished with UltraInflamX and whey protein products containing Lactoferrin, Lactoperoxidase, and Globulin Proteins that starve, damage, and keep unfriendly bacteria from sticking to intestinal walls. You can also get rid of them with antifungal medications prescribed by your doctor. So if you suspect parasites, unfriendly bacteria, or overgrowths or yeasts and molds, please discuss testing and medication with your doctor.

UltraGlycemX™

UltraGlycemX has been formulated to provide nutrition support for those with Type II Diabetes, Hypoglycemia, Obesity, Hypertension, Syndrome X, or insulin resistance, and high triglycerides. The product is perfect if you are obese and having difficulty losing weight, especially if you've gained weight after diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer. It contains a small amount of soy protein, soluble fibers, and nutrients such as chromium and alpha-lipoic acid that help regulate insulin and glucose response.

The low-allergy diet that accompanies UltraGlycemX is also high in fiber and low in carbohydrate, the nutrient that will most likely raise blood sugars. Together they're a complete program for losing weight and normalizing blood sugars.

EstroBalance™

EstroBalance is the newest member of the medical food family. Its function is to provide nutritional support for women's hormone cycles. Originally formulated for premenopausal women with symptoms of hormone imbalance, it may also be ideal for those who have had breast cancer and are on hormonals such as tamoxifen. EstroBalance has similar rice-based nutrition as the other medical foods but has other nutrients such as non-soy isoflavones and defatted flaxseed meal that help balance estrogen metabolism.

Most breast cancer prevention treatments are geared to reducing levels of circulating estrogen. Studies have shown that women who have breast cancer might have a tremendous amount of circulating estrogen in their breast tissue. Also, there are three pathways in your body through which estrogen can be detoxified. One of them has been shown to cause cancer, one of them might cause cancer, and the other has been shown to protect against cancer growth. The nutrients in EstroBalance may be able to divert estrogen down this anti-cancer pathway and reduce circulating levels of estrogen to prevent further cancer risk.

The diet that comes with this product is meant to improve general estrogen metabolism. If you're still menstruating and are experiencing symptoms of hormone imbalance such as PMS, irregular cycles, fibroid breast cysts, or heavy bleeding, you might want to follow the diet more closely. Or you might want to consider the diet as a general healthier alternative and use one or two daily servings of EstroBalance as a snack or meal replacer. EstroBalance might provide the nutrition support to balance hormone levels and to reduce hormonal side effects such as hot flashes, mood swings, and weight gain.

What To Do. . .

A beginning program may last from two to four weeks or more. A how-to booklet with lots of mixing suggestions and easy diet plans and recipes comes with each product. Other information helps you plan diet changes with Trader Joe's and Health Food Store convenience foods. You also want to get with your Supplement Savvy Specialist so that you can modify your food and shake favorites to fit the plan.

The closer you stick to the plan the better. After you finish the first few weeks, you have the option to continue, reintroduce foods you've cut out of your diet to see if you have any food intolerances, or continue the medical food with a modified food plan. Everyone responds differently so it's important that you maintain close contact and discuss your options with your Supplement Savvy Specialist while you're on the program.

What To Watch Out For. . .

These supplements should only be used under the care of a health care practitioner or Supplement Savvy Specialist. There are potential side effects for some and others have to be monitored closely for best results. Also, if you suspect that you may have intolerances or allergies to some of the ingredients please be sure to tell your Supplement Savvy Specialist. These products may not be right for you.

You may be able to do this program even if you're allergic to rice by starting with as little as a teaspoon of whatever medical food is appropriate for your condition and slowly working up to a full dose. Your Supplement Savvy Specialist can work closely with you to find a regime that works for you.

Here are individual cautions for each medical food:

EstroBalance—This product may not be suitable for pregnant or nursing women, children, or those with celiac disease. It hasn't been tested for interactions with birth control pills. It contains plant pigments that may stain clothing and surfaces.

UltraInflamX—This product may not be suitable for any condition where the ingredients are contraindicated or for anyone who is on medication that may affect liver function. It has not been tested on children or pregnant or breastfeeding women. As with all these products, vitamin A intake in excess of 5,000 IU per day may be toxic. Also, the turmeric-derived curcuminoids may stain clothing or porous surfaces.

UltraClear and UltraClear Plus—Cautions are similar to UltraInflamX.

UltraClear Sustain—Cautions are similar to UltraInflamX. UltraClear Sustain may also not be a good medical food choice if an overgrowth of unfriendly bacteria, yeasts, and moldsis suspected.

UltraGlycemX—Cautions are the similar as with UltraInflamX. Don't use this product is you are sensitive to soy. UltraGlycemX is safe for those on oral hypoglycemic medication but has not been tested on insulin-dependent diabetics.

© Copyright 2002 Jill Place, MA, RD