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Navjot Singh Sidhu claims diet cured wife’s Stage-IV cancer. Can food cure cancer?

While doctors agree that diet plays a role in cancer management, they warn that such messages can mislead people and prevent them from taking treatment for cancer.

Chetana Belagere

Published Nov 23, 2024 | 7:00 AM ⚊ Updated Nov 23, 2024 | 2:58 PM

Navjot Singh Sidhu said a strict diet made his wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu cancer-free.

Navjot Singh Sidhu said a strict diet made his wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu cancer-free.

Cancer cure has once again become a topic of hot debate after former international cricketer and politician Navjot Singh Sidhu claimed that his wife had been cured of Stage-IV cancer through dietary interventions.

The former cricketer’s statement about his wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu has drawn responses from oncologists, nutritionists, and metabolic health coaches.

While oncologists and other doctors frowned at Sidhu’s statement, metabolic health experts asserted that diet could play a significant role in cancer management.

“I am glad to announce that Noni (Navjot Kaur Sidhu) has been declared cancer-free,” the former chief of Punjab Congress said.

Besides medical practitioners, several members of the public — especially those who had lost their loved ones to cancer — criticised Sidhu for spreading misinformation.

On Friday, 22 November, he took to X to thank Dr Vikoo Batra, Navjot Kaur’s main doctor, who took “care of her 24/7”.

What did Sidhu say?

In 2022, Sidhu’s wife tweeted that she had been diagnosed with Stage-II of invasive cancer.

According to the National Cancer Institute, invasive cancer is when cancer cells being to destroy cellular membranes and spreads to healthy tissues. It is a term used for all sorts of cancers including solid tumours.

Without detailing the type of cancer, Sidhu said in a TV show that his wife had been diagnosed with Stage-IV cancer and doctors had given her three percent of survival chance. He added that she has now clinically declared cancer-free after following a strict, low-carb diet.

She took lemon water, raw turmeric, apple cider vinegar, neem leaves and basil, he said. This diet, Sidhu said, made her cancer-free in just 40 days.

Speaking to media later, Sidhu said Navjot Kaur had undergone surgeries to help beat cancer. A clip from the TV show that went viral, Sidhu mentioned only about the diet that helped her cure cancer leading to strong opposition from the medical community.

However, the video garnered positive and negative responses. While some appreciated the role of diet in curing cancer, doctors said such statements were “false” and celebrities should not spread misinformation.

Can diet cure cancer?

South First spoke to experts to understand the role of diet in cancer treatment.

Anup Singh, co-founder of dLife.in, a platform that coaches clients worldwide on low carb nutrition and metabolic health, said cancer is primarily a metabolic disorder rather than a genetic one.

He argued that traditional high-carb diets, often promoted as “balanced” fail to address the root causes of metabolic diseases, even like cancer.

“At dLife.in we have dealt with all spectrums of metabolic diseases. The mainstream still focuses on genetic factors for diseases like cancer. Who is propagating a balanced diet? I have said it often that from cold to cancer center around the same failed premise – high carb low fat,” he said.

“Going low-carb is the only way, and for cancer, the best and only option is the keto diet,” he stated.

Singh highlighted the importance of Glucose Ketone Index (GKI), a tool that measures the ratio of glucose to ketone levels in the blood, to guide cancer management.

Citing reference of Second Metabolic Health Conference, co-organised by dLife.in, along with Shashikant Iyengar, he says Dr Thomas Seyfried, who was part of the conference spoke about cancer being a metabolicdisorder.

A GKI of 1.0 or lower is ideal, creating a “therapeutic zone” that slows or halts tumor growth. He emphasised that lowering glucose levels through intermittent fasting and ketogenic diets is the only effective approach to managing cancer from a metabolic perspective.

“Neem and turmeric can be debated, but the role of reducing glucose and increasing ketones is clear,” he added.

Citing the work of doctors like Dr Mathew Phillips and Dr Nasha Winters, Dr Thomas Seyfried, Shashikant Iyengar, he said “These doctors have been pivotal in ketogenic diets and fasting. They have published several studies on the use of low-calorie ketogenic diets and fasting in advanced cases of glioblastoma,”

However, he added that these approaches are intended to complement standard treatment, not replace it. He also refused to comment on the herbs mentioned by Sidhu as they are debatable.

Pramesh CS, Director at Tata Memorial, took to X to issue a notice in public interest.

Can Stage-IV cancer be cured?

Dr Narayana Subramaniam, Senior Consultant and Director Head and Neck Surgery and Director of Clinical Innovation at SPARSH Hospital in Bengaluru, acknowledged the value of a healthy diet. However, he strongly cautioned against replacing proven cancer treatments with untested dietary strategies. He pointed out that Stage-IV cancers, though advanced, are not always incurable.

“With modern therapies, any patients with metastatic disease can have a good response to therapy and go into remissions, sometimes for prolonged periods,” he said.

Dr Subramaniam stressed on rigorous testing required before any treatment can be declared safe and effective. He warned against interpreting subjective improvements, such as feeling better, as evidence of cancer regression.

“Clinical assessments alone are insufficient, objective evidence, such as scans or blood tests showing reduced cancer burden, is necessary to prove a treatment’s effectiveness. Cancer treatment remains complex, even for specialists,” he explained.

Dr Subramaniam said promoting untested treatments like exclusive dietary interventions would risk misleading vulnerable patients, who might delay or avoid evidence-based therapies that could save their lives.

Integrated approaches

Dr Subramaniam stressed that diet should complement–not replace–traditional cancer therapies. He said healthy diets and lifestyles are advisable for everyone, not just for cancer patients.

“It is important to understand that before anything can be offered as a treatment or a cure for cancer, there is a significant testing process to prove that it is safe and effective,” he added.

Meanwhile senior intensive cardiologist, Managing Director of Pulse Heart Center Dr Mukherjee Madivada took to X, commenting on Sidhu’s video. “Mr. Navjot Sidhu got his wife treated with cancer surgery, modern chemotherapy, and all that modern medicine has to offer. He also got his wife observe fast. He credits his wife’s recovery to the fasting while not being grateful enough to acknowledge the benefit the modern medicine has done for his wife,” the doctor said.

“That’s okay. Every person has his own sense of cause and effect. And every person has his own sense of gratitude. No problem with that. But what I would request cancer patients is that please don’t stop medicines and getting surgery done because Sidhu sir told you to drink lemon water,” he warned.

Meanwhile renowned oncologist Dr Nitin Yashas, Consultant Medical Oncologist at Manipal Hospital in Sarjapur and Jayanagar in Bengaluru, said curative treatment of cancer generally involves a combination of surgery ,radiation and systemic therapy consisting of chemotherapy/immunotherapy/targeted therapy depending on the type of cancer and the stage of cancer.

Over the last decades, research has gone into understanding the various metabolic pathways which play a role in cancer progression and the interplay it has with diet and obesity .

“International guidelines from the American Cancer Society and the WCRF/AICR promote being physically active, maintaining a healthy weight, consuming fruits and vegetables, and limiting red meat and alcohol apart from limiting energy dense foods and salt consumption to reduce the risk of cancer development,” he said.

“However, currently we do not have high quality evidence with regard to specific food items or dietary patterns in patients already diagnosed with cancer and the impact it has on cure or chemotherapy-related side effects,” he added.

Most hypothesis regarding calories restriction/fasting/ketogenic diets come from preclinical models and testing done in mice and not human beings. “Therefore it is important for patients to seek the advice of their oncologist to ensure they maintain proper nutrition before adopting any nutrition fad,” he said.

Furthermore, patients who complete treatment are kept on follow up with regular scans for 3-5 years generally to detect any recurrence.

There are tests which can assess the presence of residual microscopic cancer cells/circulating tumour DNA in the blood (minimal residual disease ), the doctor added.

(Edited by Majnu Babu).

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