I have read that benecol might not be good for people with blood cancer. Has anyone come across this?
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Hello @Denise-68, and welcome to the Forum.
Thank you for your question - that’s a new one for me! I can’t find any specific evidence to suggest that Benecol is unsafe for individuals with blood cancer; but perhaps consult your team (who can talk to a haemotology pharmacist) before adding it to your diet if you are concerned?
I’ve also popped the blood cancer nurses a message to see if they’ve ever come across advice related to this and will let you know if they have.
I’m interested to know, where did you read that it might not be good for people with blood cancer?
Ceri - Blood Cancer UK Support Services
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I can’t find it now, typical, but it was in a feature I was reading about things with ‘live’ cultures and said that whilst benecol did not contain any it might impact people with reduced immunity, sorry cannot remember exactly what it said but it seemed to contradict things I had read previously.
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I’ve done a bit more of a search, and it does seem (according to this NHS source at least) as though probiotic or “bio” foods, drinks or supplements are advised against in general for immuno-compromised cancer patients. On this page under the ‘Dairy products – Higher risk foods’ drop down. We also have the higher risk foods and safe alternatives listed in our Eating Well book.
Please do definitely talk to your team about it, as they will know your personal circumstances and will be able to give much more tailerd advice.
Thanks for raising this question, it’s very interesting!
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