What to eat after rectal cancer surgery

Rectal cancer has a relatively high incidence rate among intestinal tumors. It can be cured if it is discovered and treated in time, but the treatment process of cancer is often painful. Surgery is generally recommended for rectal cancer. Because of the pain, cancer patients are very weak. Therefore, supplementing the body with nutrition is the most important thing, otherwise the effect of treatment will be greatly reduced. A reasonable and scientific diet is needed by every patient. So, what should you eat after rectal cancer surgery?

1. Reduce the intake of fat in your diet:

Regarding the relationship between diet and cancer, the most studied one is fat, including saturated fat and unsaturated fat. The fat in the diet can promote the growth of cancer cells and can also cause normal cells to mutate early and evolve into tumors. Whether it is animal fat or vegetable fat, it should be reduced as much as possible. Excessive fat, especially animal fat, can stimulate the secretion of bile acid in the small intestine. When the amount of bile acid in the intestine is too high, it is easy to become a carcinogen and promote the growth of cancer cells. It can be seen that a high-fat diet is closely related to the occurrence of rectal cancer.

2. Increase dietary fiber intake:

The main function of fiber in food is to make the intestines move normally, increase the volume of stool, and reduce the time that stool stays in the rectum. The stool in the colon will make bacteria active and may produce carcinogens. When there is a lack of fiber in the diet, the stool in the colon will become dry and hard. In addition, the passage speed is slow and the abdominal wall muscles become weak, which prolongs the emptying time. If the time is too long, the chance of colon cancer will increase relatively. Many studies have confirmed that fiber in food can dilute the carcinogenic substances in fats and oils, and can also accelerate the speed at which carcinogens are excreted from the body through the digestive system.

In addition, for patients with rectal cancer, elemental selenium can effectively activate the body's immune function, enhance immunity, repair damaged cells of patients, and inhibit tumor growth. It can help patients speed up postoperative recovery and wound healing, improve the quality of life in the later stage, and reduce the risk of postoperative recurrence.