Precision Nutrition

Precision Nutrition 

Research shows that up to 40% of cancers can be prevented through healthy eating and lifestyle choices.

BC Cancer also found that people who maintain a healthy lifestyle after a cancer diagnosis — including eating nutritious meals — often tolerate treatments such as surgery, radiation and chemotherapy better. This can lead to improved cancer journeys and outcomes.

What You Need to Know about Precision Nutrition

Personalized nutrition is emerging as a powerful tool in cancer treatment and care. However, the relationship between diet and cancer is complex, due to the disease’s wide-ranging impacts on the microbiome (the bacteria that live on and inside the body) and the metabolome (the small molecules involved in metabolism).

This highlights the need for increased research into the impact of nutrition on the health of people facing cancer, as there is currently limited information about Canadians’ diets and how precision nutrition approaches can support cancer treatment and care.

How BC Cancer is Advancing Precision Nutrition Research

BC Cancer’s Precision Nutrition Study: A First of Its Kind

The Precision Nutrition Study is a groundbreaking, large-scale research initiative that focuses on the dietary habits of Canadians. The innovative study will position BC Cancer as a world leader in cancer-related dietary and nutrition research.

Led by BC Cancer scientist Dr. Rachel Murphy, the study builds on data obtained from BC Cancer’s BC Generations Project — which, since 2009, has enrolled nearly 30,000 British Columbians aged 30 to 74. The project aims to better understand how genetics, lifestyle and environmental factors contribute to cancer and other chronic diseases.

Using this data, Dr. Murphy and her team are creating personalized diet strategies and treatment plans for cancer prevention and survivorship. The team analyzes patients’ dietary intakes, as well as blood and stool samples to study the microbiome and metabolome, to identify:

• Diet and health behaviours in a large population of British Columbians
• Individuals with deficiencies in specific foods or nutrients
• The characteristics of individuals most impacted by these deficiencies
• The impact of diet on cancer and related health outcomes

The goal of the Precision Nutrition study is to establish a new “gold standard” for diet to support cancer prevention, treatment and survivorship.