How the Ketogenic Diet Stops Cancer
Many people have found the Keto diet (or ketogenic diet) of zero or extremely restricted carbohydrate intake and high fat and protein intake to be beneficial. They’ve seen anything from weight loss to mood improvement. But one benefit is looking to be much more important than any other: the Ketogenic diet’s ability to slow or stop cancer.
David Mihalovic describes the environment of cancerous growth this way:
malignant tumors represent masses of rapidly growing cells. The rapid rate of growth experienced by these cells means that cellular metabolism also proceeds at very high rates.
Therefore, cancer cells are using a lot more carbohydrates and sugars to generate energy in the form of ATP (adenosine triphosphate).
It stands then that increased sugar intake increases the risk of cancer:
Sustained high levels of sugars, as is found in diabetics, damages our cells and now is shown that can also increase our chance to get cancer.
Ketogenic Diet Stops Cancer
Numerous animal studies over the past several decades have shown that cancer cells require greater glucose consumption than healthy cells as a result of their defective mitochondrial processes. So cancer cells can only grow in a glucose-rich environment as the follow study shows:
Cancer cells, relative to normal cells, demonstrate significant alterations in metabolism that are proposed to result in increased steady-state levels of mitochondrial-derived reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as O2 and H2O2. It has also been proposed that cancer cells increase glucose and hydroperoxide metabolism to compensate for increased levels of ROS. Given this theoretical construct, it is reasonable to propose that forcing cancer cells to use mitochondrial oxidative metabolism by feeding ketogenic diets that are high in fats and low in glucose and other carbohydrates, would selectively cause metabolic oxidative stress in cancer versus normal cells. Increased metabolic oxidative stress in cancer cells would in turn be predicted to selectively sensitize cancer cells to conventional radiation and chemotherapies. This review summarizes the evidence supporting the hypothesis that ketogenic diets may be safely used as an adjuvant therapy to conventional radiation and chemotherapies and discusses the proposed mechanisms by which ketogenic diets may enhance cancer cell therapeutic responses.
And:
Despite remarkable improvements in screening, diagnosis, and targeted therapies, cancer
remains the second leading cause of death in the United States. It is increasingly clear that diet
and lifestyle practices play a substantial role in cancer development and progression. As such,
various dietary compositions have been proposed for reducing cancer risk and as potential adjuvant
therapies. In this article, we critically assess the preclinical and human trials on the effects of the
ketogenic diet (KD, i.e., high-fat, moderate-to-low protein, and very-low carbohydrate content) for
cancer-related outcomes. The mechanisms underlying the hypothesized effects of KD, most notably
the Warburg Effect, suggest that restricting carbohydrate content may impede cancer development
and progression via several pathways (e.g., tumor metabolism, gene expression). Overall, although
preclinical studies suggest that KD has antitumor effects, prolongs survival, and prevents cancer
development, human clinical trials are equivocal. Because of the lack of high-quality clinical trials,
the effects of KD on cancer and as an adjunctive therapy are essentially unknown. We propose a set
of research recommendations for clinical studies examining the effects of KD on cancer development
and progression.
I’ve been supplementing my normal low-sugar diet with some exogenous ketones and I have noticed decreased body fat, more energy, and the sensation of ketosis familiar from when I was on the keto diet, all without limiting myself to fat and protein macronutrients.
It is possible, with a healthy diet and exercise, that one’s own immune system could be enough to eliminate the cancer cells if their rapid growth is halted through sugar restriction and the ketogenic diet.
Ideal Diet
While the ketogenic diet may be effective and necessary to halt and cure someone of cancer, it may not be the ideal diet for people without cancer.
As MD Anderson explains:
For most people, the keto diet will result in weight loss, but this might not be the healthiest way to do it. When your body burns fat because it is starved of carbs, it makes ketones. Ketones are a type of acid made by your liver and then sent into your bloodstream. Too many ketones can led to dehydration and alter the chemical balance of your blood.
This ketoacidosis, which is the leading cause of death for young people with type-2 diabetes, is very dangerous.
For people without cancer, therefore, we recommend the Zero to Paleo plan of snacking on natural low-sugar, high-fiber foods through the day, exercising, then filling yourself with high-protein dinner.
Other sources:
