{"id":9031,"date":"2023-11-23T20:28:23","date_gmt":"2023-11-23T13:28:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=9031"},"modified":"2023-11-23T20:28:23","modified_gmt":"2023-11-23T13:28:23","slug":"keto-diet-to-effectively-fight-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=9031","title":{"rendered":"Keto Diet to Effectively Fight Cancer?\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">What does the science say about the clinical use of ketogenic diets for epilepsy and cancer?<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Blood sugar, also<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/10365987\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">known<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> as blood glucose, is the universal go-to fuel for the cells throughout our bodies. Our brain burns through a quarter pound of sugar a day because \u201cglucose is the preferred metabolic fuel.\u201d We can break down proteins and make glucose from scratch, but most comes from our diet in the form of sugars and starches. If we stop eating carbohydrates (or stop eating altogether), most of our cells switch over to burning fat. Fat has difficulty getting through the blood-brain barrier, though, and our brain <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/9665088\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">has<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> a constant, massive need for fuel. Just that one organ accounts for up to half of our energy needs. Without it, the lights go out\u2026permanently.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">To<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/14604265\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">make<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> that much sugar from scratch, our body would need to break down about half a pound of protein a day. That means we\u2019d cannibalize ourselves to death within two weeks, but people can fast for months. What\u2019s going on? The answer to the puzzle was<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/6061736\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">discovered<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> in 1967. Harvard researchers famously stuck catheters into the brains of obese subjects who had been fasting for more than a month and discovered that <\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">ketones<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\"> had replaced glucose as the preferred fuel for the brain. Our liver can turn fat into ketones, which can then breach the blood-brain barrier and sustain our brain if we aren\u2019t getting enough carbohydrates. Switching fuels has such an effect on brain activity that it has been used to <\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">treat<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\"> epilepsy since antiquity.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">In fact, the prescription of <\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">fasting<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\"> for the treatment of epileptic seizures <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/19049574\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">dates<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> back to Hippocrates. In the Bible, even Jesus seems to have concurred. To this day, it\u2019s unclear why<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/26222258\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">switching<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> from blood sugar to ketones as a primary fuel source has such a dampening effect on brain overactivity. How long can one fast? To prolong the fasting therapy, in 1921, a distinguished physician scientist at the Mayo Clinic<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/ci.nii.ac.jp\/naid\/10019167655\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">suggested<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> trying what he called \u201c<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">ketogenic diets,<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201d high-fat diets designed to be so deficient in carbohydrates that they could effectively mimic the fasting state. \u201cRemarkable improvement\u201d was<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/jamanetwork.com\/journals\/jamapediatrics\/article-abstract\/1173988\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">noted<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> the first time it was put to the test, efficacy that was later <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/22419282\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">confirmed<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> in randomized, controlled trials. Ketogenic diets started to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/19049574\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">fall<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> out of favor in 1938 with the discovery of the anti-seizure drug that would become known as Dilantin, but they\u2019re still being <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/29881797\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">used<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> today as a third- or fourth-line treatment for drug-refractory epilepsy in children.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Oddly, the success of ketogenic diets against pediatric epilepsy seems to get conflated by \u201c<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">keto diet<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201d proponents into <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dietdoctor.com\/low-carb\/keto\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">suggesting<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> a ketogenic diet is beneficial for everyone. Know what else sometimes <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/29069568\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">works<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> for intractable epilepsy? Brain surgery, but I don\u2019t hear people clamoring to get their skulls sawed open. Since when do medical therapies translate into healthy lifestyle choices? <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/30073725\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Scrambling<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> brain activity with electroshock therapy can be helpful in some cases of major depression, so should we get out the electrodes? Ketogenic diets are also being <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/29658772\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">tested<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> to see if they can slow the growth of certain brain tumors. Even if they work, you know what else can help slow cancer growth? Chemotherapy. So why go keto when you can just go chemo?<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Promoters of ketogenic diets for cancer are <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/28452037\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">paid<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> by so-called ketone technology companies that offer to send you salted caramel bone broth powder for a hundred bucks a pound or companies that <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/28455833\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">market<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> ketogenic meals and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/28452037\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">report<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> \u201cextraordinary\u201d anecdotal responses in some cancer patients. But more concrete evidence is simply <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/28353094\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">lacking<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">, and even the theoretical underpinnings may be questionable. A common refrain is that \u201ccancer feeds on sugar.\u201d But <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">all<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"none\"> cells feed on sugar. Advocating ketogenic diets for cancer is like saying Hitler breathed air <\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">so we should <\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">boycott oxygen.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Cancer can <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/20818174\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">feed<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> on ketones, too. Ketones have been found to fuel human breast cancer growth and drive metastases in an experimental model, more than doubling tumor growth. Some have even <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/21512313\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">speculated<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> that this may be why breast cancer often metastasizes to the liver, the main site of ketone production. As you can see below and at 4:59 in my video <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/is-keto-an-effective-cancer-fighting-diet\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\"><strong>Is Keto an Effective Cancer-Fighting Diet<\/strong><strong>?<\/strong><\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">,<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0if you <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/21512313\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">drip<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> ketones directly onto breast cancer cells in a petri dish, the genes that get turned on and off make for much more aggressive cancer, associated with significantly lower five-year survival in breast cancer patients, as you can see in the following graph and at 5:05 in my <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/is-keto-an-effective-cancer-fighting-diet\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">video<\/span><\/b><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">. Researchers are even considering <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/23082722\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">designing<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> ketone-<\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">blocking<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"none\"> drugs to prevent further cancer growth by halting ketone production.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-98359\" src=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/11\/4-59.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/11\/4-59.png 1920w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/11\/4-59-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/11\/4-59-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/11\/4-59-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/11\/4-59-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/11\/4-59-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/11\/4-59-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/11\/4-59-720x405.png 720w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/11\/4-59-540x304.png 540w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\"\/><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-98361\" src=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/11\/5-05.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/11\/5-05.png 1920w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/11\/5-05-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/11\/5-05-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/11\/5-05-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/11\/5-05-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/11\/5-05-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/11\/5-05-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/11\/5-05-720x405.png 720w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/11\/5-05-540x304.png 540w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\"\/><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Let\u2019s also think about what eating a ketogenic diet might entail. High animal fat intake may <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/26970739\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">increase<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> the mortality risk among breast cancer survivors and potentially play a role in the development of breast cancer in the first place through oxidative stress, hormone disruption, or inflammation. This <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/10325493\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">applies<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> to men, too. \u201cA strong association\u201d has been <\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">found<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\"> \u201cbetween saturated fat intake and prostate cancer progression and survival.\u201d Those in the top third of consumption of these kinds of fat-rich animal foods appeared to triple their risk of dying from prostate cancer. This isn\u2019t necessarily fat in general either. N<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">o difference<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\"> has been <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/25692500\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">found<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> in breast cancer death rates based on total fat intake. However <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">saturated<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"none\"> fat intake specifically may negatively impact breast cancer survival, increasing the risk of dying from it by 50 percent. There\u2019s a reason the official American Cancer Society and American Society of Clinical Oncology Breast Cancer Survivorship Care Guideline <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/26641959\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">recommend<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> a dietary pattern for breast cancer patients that\u2019s essentially the <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">opposite<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"none\"> of a ketogenic diet. It calls for a diet that\u2019s \u201chigh in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes [beans, split peas, chickpeas, and lentils]; low in saturated fats; and limited in alcohol consumption.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cTo date, not a single clinical study has <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/25595495\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">shown<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> a measurable benefit from a ketogenic diet in any human cancer.\u201d There are currently at least a dozen trials <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/29658772\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">underway<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">, however, and the hope is that at least some cancer types will <\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">respond<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">. Still, even then, that wouldn\u2019t serve as a basis for recommending ketogenic diets for the general population any more than recommending everyone get radiation, surgery, and chemo just for kicks.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cKeto\u201d has been the most-searched keyword on NutritionFacts.org for months, and I didn\u2019t have much specific to offer\u2026until now.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">Check out my other videos on the topic in related videos below.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">For an overview of my cancer work, watch <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/how-not-to-die-from-cancer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">How Not to Die from Cancer<\/a><\/strong><span data-contrast=\"none\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"et_social_bottom_trigger\"\/>  <\/div>\n<p><script>\n            !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n            {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n                n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n            if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n            n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n            t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n            s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script',\n                'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n            fbq('init', '1582627921973608');\n            fbq('track', 'PageView');\n        <\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1675549\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What does the science say about the clinical use of ketogenic diets for epilepsy and cancer?\u00a0 Blood sugar, also known as blood glucose, is the universal go-to fuel for the cells throughout our bodies. Our brain burns through a quarter pound of sugar a day because \u201cglucose is the preferred metabolic fuel.\u201d We can break &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":9032,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9031","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9031","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9031"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9031\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9031"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9031"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9031"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}