Starve Cancer: Metabolic Cancer Therapy
Watch this video to understand how metabolic cancer therapy can starve cancer cells by disrupting access to critical fuel sources—glucose, amino acids, and fatty acids.
Continue on to the article below if you would rather read than watch a video.
The Evidence is Undeniable
Cancer patients can use nutrition, safe supplements, and non-toxic medications to block off fuel sources that starve cancer. The community of researchers and clinical doctors pointing to metabolic treatments as the path to eradicate cancer is quickly growing, one of the loudest advocates is Dr. Thomas Seyfried.
Dr. Thomas Seyfried, leads an effort to educate the medical community on metabolic cancer therapies.
Thousands of studies have uncovered what cancer cells use to grow and spread. This article simplifies the existing scientific and clinical evidence so you can walk away understanding the preferred fuels and pathways of common cancer types, nutritional approaches that starve cancer cells, and which supplements and off-label medications have been shown to safely block cancer cell fuel sources.
The limitations of conventional cancer therapies (specifically, cancers that are resistant to chemotherapy or radiotherapy) have prompted the development of strategies aimed at targeting cancer’s biological process. Over the last 20 years we have seen a wave of evidence from leading cancer researchers that identify preferred fuel sources and intake pathways that can be targeted. If enough pathways are blocked the cancer cells can be starved… this can effectively restrict growth and contribute to cancer cell death.
Using nutrition, supplements, and medications to starve cancer is referred to as a Metabolic Cancer Therapy because the treatment aims to disrupt the cancer cells ability to metabolize substances into necessary resources.
Primary Resources Used by Cancer Cells: Glucose, Amino Acids & Fatty Acids
While it is impossible to block off every source of fuel cancer uses to grow, top researchers over the last few decades have shown us that targeting several critical areas can be harmful to most cancer cells. Generally speaking, the three key areas are Glucose, Amino Acids, and Fatty Acids.
We will provide a brief overview of the research behind each fuel source and the evidence of how nutrition, supplements, and medication can be used to disrupt cancer cells from using these fuel sources.
*As with any medical intervention, you should discuss these treatments with a Licensed Medical Provider before attempting them.
Starve Cancer of Glucose
The #1 fuel source of cancer cells is Glucose, also called “blood sugar”.
Glucose is mostly created from carbohydrates, but can also be produced from protein.
90 years ago Otto Warburg won the Nobel Prize for his research and discoveries into the metabolism of tumors. Most notably, he observed that cancer cells typically have much higher glucose consumption rates than normal cells.
“The evidence really suggests that if you have cancer, the sugar you’re eating may be making it grow faster.”
Fast forward to today and leading researchers are convinced most cancers are addicted to insulin and sugar. Dr. Lewis Cantley of Harvard Medical School has received many prestigious accolades for his breakthrough research into cancer metabolism. After 40 years of research, Dr. Cantley has stated “The evidence really suggests that if you have cancer, the sugar you’re eating may be making it grow faster.”.
How much glucose does cancer need?
The answer is… an enormous amount! Cancer cells uptake glucose 200 times more than normal cells. They need this massive amount of glucose because cancer cells tend to rely on using a less efficient method to convert glucose into energy. This method is called GLYCOLYSIS. Many studies have found that glycolysis promotes tumor growth, cancer spread, and chemoresistance, as well as inhibiting the naturally occuring programmed cell death of tumor cells.
However, research has shown that cancers over reliance on glucose can be used against it. Cancers that primarily rely on glucose for fuel are like the old gas guzzler cars that our grandparents drove. Normal cells also use glucose to produce fuel, but they are like our modern hybrid cars. Normal cells need far less glucose to function, but when necessary they can completely switch away from using glucose to use a backup energy source called ketones.
You may have heard of friends and family using a Ketogenic diet when trying to lose weight, but the fact is this is not a new diet fad. It has been used as an effective medical treatment since the 1920’s. For those unfamiliar, Ketogenic Diet substantially reduces intake of foods with carbohydrates, which is the primary macronutrient converted into glucose in the bloodstream. Significant evidence over the last 20 years shows Keto Diets have an anti-cancer affect when used against cancers that prefer glucose as a fuel source.
Which medications and supplements prevent cancer from using Glucose?
In addition to nutritional modifications, Metabolic Cancer Therapy utilizes nutrient supplements, natural substances, and medications to prevent cancer cells from using glucose to grow and spread. Thousands of medical articles have been written explaining how treatments can inhibit cancer cell glucose transporters, insulin receptors, prevent glycolysis, and other mechanisms used to convert glucose into energy. Treatments deployed to prevent cancer cells from using glucose include natural substances like Quercetin, Berberine, Curcumin, Genistein, Resveratrol, and High Doses of Vitamin C as well as medications Metformin, Doxycycline, and Statins.
Starve Cancer of Amino Acids
Amino Acids are derived from protein and are a key resource to normal cell function… however, many cancer types have an unregulated addiction to amino acids.
Cancer cells greedily uptake certain amino acids in high volume to support their energy requirements, expand locally and to distant sites, as well as prevent the body's immune system from eliminating cancer cells.
20 amino acids can be found in the human body, but studies show several are considered key resources for cancer cells. Here are five examples:
Glutamine
Dr. Thomas Seyfried has classified Glutamine utilization as the “missing link” in the metabolic theory of cancer. There is no doubting it’s importance to cancer, Glutamine is the second most utilized nutrient by cancer cells and is an essential fuel source for proliferation.
Its been observed that cancer cells use Glutamine :
as an energy source
enable replicative immortality
resist programmed cell death
support invasion into neighboring tissues
Unfortunately, it is not possible and would be unhealthy to try to eliminate Glutamine from your diet. However, there are therapeutics aimed at disrupting cancer cells ability to uptake and metabolize Glutamine.
Arginine
Arginine is another critical amino acid for cancer cells. It is used to help proliferation through progressing the cell cycle, repair cell damage, as well as expanding locally and to distant sites (also called metastasis). Accumulating evidence suggests that some cancer cells are unable to synthesize sufficient arginine and become dependent on using arginine collected from the blood stream and other external sources. Cancer’s over reliance on Arginine makes this an exciting target. Many studies and ongoing clinical trials have documented that depriving certain cancer cell types of Arginine can help:
Overcome resistance to standard cancer therapies
Restrict migrations
Stop the cell cycle
Induce cancer cell death
Asparagine, Methionine, and BCAA
It is widely documented that cancer cells also rely on amino acids Asparagine, Methionine, and branch chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, and valine). Multiple treatment methods have been attempted to restrict uptake and use of these nutrients by cancer cells.
How to Prevent Cancer from Using Amino Acids
Many clinical trials are underway to identify compounds that effectively prevent cancer cells from using amino acids. However, Metformin, an off-patent and inexpensive medication, has shown the ability to impair cancer cells ability to use glutamine. Additionally, natural substances like Epigallocatechin Gallate (a form of green tea extract), resveratrol, berberine, and canavanine have been shown to prevent cancer cells from using amino acids. Lastly, nutritional restriction (that is, avoiding eating certain foods rich in amino acids) can be used to prevent cancer cells from accessing some types of amino acids.
Starve Cancer of Fatty Acids
Now, finally we get to Fatty Acids.
Their role in fueling cancer has been largely shrouded in mystery until recent improvements in lipidomics technology has enabled a deeper understanding of lipid metabolism in cancer.
Today, many studies have revealed that disordered fatty acids can regulate tumor cell proliferation, metastasis, and drug resistance. Cancer uses fatty acids in numerous ways, for example:
✱ Cancer mitochondria can metabolize fatty acids as a fuel source to support growth
✱ Cancer cells adjust fatty acid levels intracellularly to resist cell death caused by oxidative stress
✱ Cancer can use fatty acids to evade the immune system's attack
Cancer cells have the flexibility to use fatty acids generated from within the cell and intake the molecule from its local environment, but experts see ways to create fatty acid level imbalances that limit the benefit cancer cells obtain from these molecules.
Nutrition and Supplements Disrupt Cancer’s Ability to Use Fatty Acids
Again, nutrition is used to attack cancer’s vulnerabilities. For instance, the research strongly suggests those with cancer should limit intake of foods high in mono-unsaturated fatty acids and omega 6 fatty acids because they have been shown to promote tumor growth and induce liver metastasis. Furthermore, studies show there is a benefit in increasing intake of foods and supplements rich in omega 3 polyunsaturated fat as this has been shown to reduce cancer-related symptoms. Ketogenic diet, a low-carb and high-fat diet, and calorie-restricted diets have all shown an ability to significantly restrict tumor growth. It is worth noting these diets are considered most effective when the recommendation is personalized based on the patients age, sex, and health status.
We have ample evidence that supplements and medication further disrupt cancer’s ability to use fatty acids. Berberine has been shown to prevent cancer cells from generating fatty acids and block their ability to pull them in from outside of the cell. Meanwhile, intake of EPA and DHA omega 3 fatty acids can potentially create an imbalance within the cancer cell making them vulnerable to oxidative stress from treatments like chemotherapy and high dose vitamin C.
Medications Can Play a Role In Starving Cancer of Fatty Acids
Again, Metformin and Statins show they can play a role to inhibit this fuel source as well. Studies observed Metformin decreases cancer cells from synthesizing fatty acids, while statins reduce the amount of fatty acids that are available for cancer cells to import.
Metabolic Cancer Therapy Seeks to Starve Cancer of Glucose, Amino Acids, and Fatty Acids
To wrap up, cancer primarily uses three resources to grow, spread, and protect itself against attack… those being Glucose, Amino Acids, and Fatty Acids.
The recurring theme throughout this article is that several off-label medications and nutrients have an enormous amount of scientific evidence showing that they have the ability to help:
Prevent metastasis
Reduce tumor size
Reduce the ill effects of cancer
Improve efficacy of standard treatments like chemo and radiation
Trigger cancer cell death.
Since these treatments are off-patent or cannot be patented, there is no financial incentive to get them FDA approved as a cancer treatment. This means their use for cancer patients would likely be considered “off-label”. However, the great news is since they are not patented, they are very inexpensive to obtain. Nevertheless, it is imperative that you speak with a licensed medical provider prior to beginning any medical treatment.
If you are interested in speaking with a licensed medical provider to discuss these treatments, we welcome you to schedule a consultation by clicking the button below.
Medical Advice Disclaimer:The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained on this website are for information purposes only and was based on the latest research accessible to the author at the time of publication. No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new healthcare regiment, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.View other articles about the Metabolic Cancer Treatment:
