Back in the 1920s, researchers discovered that cancer cells capture large amounts of glucose compared to healthy cells. Furthermore, cancer cells metabolize glucose in a different way than healthy cells – this altered metabolism is linked to the growth, survival, maintenance, and proliferation of cancer cells. In simpler terms, glucose (or sugar) makes you more susceptible to cancer – in fact, 14 different types. Recently, researchers have been investigating this metabolic pathway to prevent cancer and possibly treat it.
Anti-cancer diet
You may have heard about the ketogenic diet, which is followed by many athletes these days. However, even if you’re not an athlete, a ketogenic diet may help you avoid cancer.
The ketogenic diet is primarily based on high fat intake (90%), moderate-to-low protein intake (8%), and the minimal intake of carbohydrates (2%) – as low as 20 to 50 grams per day. This creates a state in the body known as ketosis, where the body produces more ketone bodies in the blood. Ketones are molecules that can be used by cells throughout the body as an alternative fuel source to glucose. Other metabolic benefits of the diet include lower blood glucose, lower insulin production, and more balanced blood pH levels.
Researchers believe that these benefits offer some cancer prevention and treatment potential. To date, the findings have been promising: decreased tumor tissue, changes to metabolism in cancer cells, stabilization of tumors in cancer patients, increased immune function, and more.
Although we do need more research (and there are currently more than a dozen trials underway), one significant finding is that a ketogenic diet can reduce lactate levels in cells. High lactate levels often lead to a worse prognosis, specifically in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
Besides cancer, a ketogenic diet has been shown to be beneficial for many other chronic health conditions, such as epilepsy, obesity, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and respiratory conditions.
But what about the fat?
A ketogenic diet is not a typical diet that most large organizations recommend. The main objection most people have is: won’t all that fat make me fat and give me high cholesterol? The answer is no, especially when you eat fat as your main macronutrient.
There are many nutritional myths around fat, and in recent years it has been shown that excessive carbohydrate intake contributes more to the development of heart disease than fat.
In fact, if you really want to be a lean machine, forget the low-fat nonsense and ditch the carbs. Omitting carbs switches your body from a glucose-burning engine to a fat-burning one. By eating a low-carb or ketogenic-like diet, you can burn fat just by eating the right way.
Another thing that many people struggle with is the super low carbohydrate intake of a ketogenic diet. Most ketogenic dieters limit themselves to 20-50 grams. The good news here is, in many cases (especially in terms of prevention) there is no need to go that low. Significant health benefits can be found by lowering carbs to 120 grams per day maximum.
Lowering your carbs is well worth the effort if you’re interested in reducing your risk of numerous chronic lifestyle diseases. The ketogenic diet is not recommended for children unless prescribed by a physician for specific conditions. Adults on blood pressure-lowering medications should talk to their doctors or seek the guidance of a nutritional professional before beginning a ketogenic diet. The diet can be beneficial for lowering high blood pressure, but in combination with medication, you could experience a sudden drop.
