Rudolf Breuss (June 6, 1899 – May 17, 1990) was an Austrian
naturopath and
alternative cancer treatment advocate. He promoted the Breuss Cancer Cure (BCC) a 42-day
juice fasting program widely regarded by medical experts as lacking any serious scientific basis, which medical sources have criticized as ineffective and dangerous.
[Hartmut Henß and Elke Reinert, with contributions by Astrid Ebach and Roman Huber. ''Patient Guide: “Complementary Methods.”'' Edited by th]
Tumor Center Freiburg at the University Medical Center
1st ed., January 2006. (in German)
Biography
Breuss maintained that
cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...
lives on solid foods taken into the body, and that cancerous growths will die if a patient drinks only
vegetable juices and
herbal tea
Herbal teas, technically known as herbal infusions, and less commonly called tisanes (UK and US , US also ), are beverages made from the infusion or decoction of herbs, spices, or other plant material in hot water. Often herb tea, or the plai ...
s for 42 days.
The Breuss Cancer Cure (BCC) claims to starve cancer cells by not providing solid food proteins, the idea is based on an erroneous assumption that
cancer cells can only live on proteins of solid food.
[Ernst, Edzard. (2021). ''So-Called Alternative Medicine (SCAM) for Cancer''. Springer. p. 90. ] The BCC is based on a vegetable juice that consists of 55% red beet root, 20% carrots, 20% celery root, 3% raw potato and 2% radishes.
Breuss stated that more than 45,000 people were cured following his treatment. He wrote a book titled ''The Breuss Cancer Cure: Advice for the Prevention and Natural Treatment of Cancer, Leukemia and Other Seemingly Incurable Diseases''; according to a 1995 English translation, ''Cancer Cure'' has been translated into seven languages and has sold more than 1 million copies.
Reception
Edzard Ernst has written that the Breuss Cancer Cure is not supported by scientific evidence and its assumptions lack biological plausibility. He also noted that as the diet carries the risk of
malnutrition
Malnutrition occurs when an organism gets too few or too many nutrients, resulting in health problems. Specifically, it is a deficiency, excess, or imbalance of energy, protein and other nutrients which adversely affects the body's tissues a ...
and shuns conventional cancer treatments it is potentially dangerous.
A senior nurse for
Cancer Research UK stated that they did not support alternative therapies that were not backed by scientific evidence, and that following a restricted diet such as Breuss's could cause malnutrition.
A 2012 review of cancer diets named the Breuss diet as one of the most frequently mentioned, but cautioned there is no evidence to support taking these "cancer diets" and that they can be harmful. A 2014 review of cancer diets listed the Breuss diet as having no benefit and the underlying hypothesis is not compatible with scientific concepts of cancer.
In 2020, the Cancer Association of South Africa have stated that even though a diet based on vegetables is healthy, the Breuss diet "contains no known substances that can ‘cure’ cancer".
Selected publications
*
See also
*
List of ineffective cancer treatments
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Breuss, Rudolf
1899 births
1990 deaths
Alternative cancer treatment advocates
Alternative detoxification promoters
Fasting advocates
Naturopaths
Pseudoscientific diet advocates