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Ketogenic Diet and Cancer Treatment

Cancer cells are addicted to carbohydrates, they intake 200 times more glucose than normal cells. This is leading many experts in the cancer treatment community to consider how nutritional approaches like the Ketogenic diet can aid patients in defeating their disease.

Evidence shows using a ketogenic diet can create an unfavorable metabolic environment for cancer that goes beyond simply starving the disease of glucose. In this article we review the observed anti-cancer mechanisms of keto and consider how it fits into a cancer treatment plan.

The Evolution of the Ketogenic Diet as a Medical Intervention

Ketones Have Been Used to Treat Illness for Over 2500 years

Documents recovered from the Hippocratic collections show that medical practitioners from as far back as the 5th century BC used fasting to treat epilepsy, as it was the only effective therapeutic at the time.

Historical practitioners were unaware that fasting forces the body to produce Ketones, which we understand now can suppress or stop seizures.

Ketogenic Diet Becomes a Standard Medical Therapy for Epilepsy

The use of fasting continued into modern times until in the 1920’s researchers from Harvard (Dr. Stanley Cobb) and Mayo (Dr. Russel Wilder) began to experiment with high fat, low carbohydrate diets that would mimic the effects of fasting. After two years of successful trials, the ketogenic diet was introduced as a standard treatment for epilepsy, particularly in children.

Unfortunately in the 1940’s this medical approach faded in use as anti-epilepsy medications became the preferred prescription by most doctors.  

Transforming Lives with the Ketogenic Diet

However, the efforts of the Charlie Foundation have renewed interest in using the Ketogenic diet for diseases. Jim Abrahams, a Hollywood writer and producer, and his wife Nancy were desperate to find a solution for their 11 month old son's epilepsy. The multitude of medications prescribed by doctors was causing severe side effects and not reducing his seizures.

They luckily found a book in a library written by Johns Hopkins Doctors that described using the ketogenic diet.

Going keto worked, their son Charlie became seizure free within a month. Now, Charlie is in his 20’s and has not had a seizure since.

 Motivated by their success of using nutrition to heal their son, the Abrahams founded the Charlie Foundation in 1994 to help improve research and awareness into ketogenic diets. Their efforts helped to encourage over 1,000 studies that consider the anti-cancer benefits of the ketogenic diet.  

Metabolic Impact of the Ketogenic Diet

Excessive Insulin Feeds Cancer Cells

Now with typical Western diets that have high carbohydrate and sugar intake, the pancreas increasingly secretes more insulin, which promotes the interaction of growth hormone receptors and growth hormones to produce insulin-like growth factor 1 in the liver—promoting cell growth and proliferation, which can be detrimental to patients with cancer. In fact, overexpression of glucose transporters also occurs in many cancers and especially in aggressive tumors.

PET Scans Reveal Cancer’s Reliance on Glucose

Cancer Cells Can’t Use Ketones for Fuel

However, when glucose is scarce, like when using the ketogenic diet, the body senses the need to make an alternative form of energy for cells. The liver then produces ketones and fatty acids, which provide energy for normal cells, but ketones cannot be used by cancer cells because of their damaged mitochondria. KD helps to starve cancer cells of their primary fuel source.

Keto Diet: Anti-Cancer Mechanisms, Tumor Suppression, and Metabolic Strategies

Most studies have shown that the Ketogenic diet slowed tumor growth, delayed the initiation of tumors, prolonged the survival rate, reversed cancer-induced cachexia (extreme weight loss and muscle wasting) and also increased the tumor response to standard treatments like chemo and radiation. Additionally, KD appears to greatly improve efficacy of targeted therapies like PI3K inhibitors. 

While KD exploits a metabolic weakness in cancer, it has also shown to provide other anti-cancer benefits.

How Does the Keto Diet Disrupt Cancer?

Ketogenic Diet Has Anti-Inflammatory Effects 

Tumors often induce inflammation in the body to trigger a number of activities that help the cancer to grow and  spread. These activities include: 

✱ Tumorigenesis, which  is converting normal cells into cancerous cells 

✱ Tumor growth and proliferation 

✱ Metastasis 

✱ As well as enabling cancers to be resistant to standard treatments like chemo 

Ketogenic diet shows the ability to reduce proinflammatory cytokines, thus contributing to prevention of tumor progression.  

Ketogenic Diet Suppresses Key Enzymes Used By Cancer

Cancer cells have been shown to overexpress enzymes like Cyclooxygenase and Matrix metalloproteinases to influence tumor progression and migration. Evidence shows that keto diets can make an impact by helping to normalize the expression of these enzymes.  

While many studies show that a ketogenic diet could be a helpful component in a cancer fighting treatment plan, it should be noted that cancer cells have the metabolic flexibility to use alternative fuel sources when access to glucose is restricted. Experts acknowledge that cancers may derive energy from amino acids like glutamine. Studies suggest there are safe medications and supplements that can be used to further starve cancer of glucose and restrict access to amino acids.

Key Fact About Using Ketogenic Diet to Treat Cancer

◈ Substantially reducing carbohydrate intake activates producing ketones and fatty acids that normal cells can process for energy 

◈ Cancer cells cannot effectively process ketones for energy 

◈ Ketogenic diets limit the production of glucose, starving cancer cells of a primary fuel source 

◈ KD can reduce inflammation and over expression of enzymes that are used by cancer cells to grow and spread 

◈ In addition to KD, other steps can be taken to assault other metabolic dependencies of cancer, particularly its use of amino acids.   

Nutrition is an often overlooked aspect of fighting disease. Our bodies require fuel to power the immune system to fight against cancer. Yes, keto diets show promise, but they are not necessarily the best approach for every person's situation.

Alternatively, using a less extreme low carb diet or intermittent fasting could be a better match. To get the best results, be sure to collaborate with a licensed medical professional to establish a personalized nutritional plan.  

Select the link below to schedule a consultation to receive a personalized metabolic cancer therapy plan.

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.

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