Article: Raw-food diets may offer healthier lifestyle

April 25, 2008

Raw-food diets may offer healthier lifestyle

But critics say the body loses certain nutrients with strict adherence

By Kim Pierce, McClatchy News Service

April 25, 2008

DALLAS — A raw-food diet — basically raw fruits, vegetables and whole

grains — has plenty of advocates, but whether it's the right choice

for a cancer patient is open to question.

In a matter of seconds, you can find numerous testimonials online

about its health benefits. However, finding peer-reviewed scientific

studies, much less specific research on raw foods and cancer, is harder.

" There are only a couple dozen studies worldwide on relationships

between raw-foods diets and anything else, " says Suzanne Havala Hobbs,

a registered dietitian with a special interest in vegetarian nutrition

who has tracked the raw-foods movement. She knows of no studies on raw

foods and cancer.

" What you could say about a raw-foods diet and cancer risk or cancer

treatment could be something that's extrapolated and kind of

surmised, " she says, " based upon the body of evidence related to diet

and cancer in general. "

Still, Hobbs, who's on the faculty in the school of public health at

the University of North Carolina, is far from dismissive.

" I am fascinated by some of the claims made by raw foodists, " she

says. " But I'm cautious about them, as well. I am sympathetic and

skeptical at the same time. "

When she conducted what she calls a small, low-tech study in 2005 on

raw-food attitudes, practices and beliefs, the top reason for adopting

a raw-food diet was health, especially protection from disease and

faster healing.

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