Healthline/Medical News Today | August 14, 2019
New research in mice suggests that keeping blood sugar under control using either the ketogenic diet or a diabetes drug could help treat certain cancers by boosting the efficacy of standard chemotherapy.
The ketogenic diet consists of high-fat foods, foods that contain an adequate amount of protein, and a very low amount of carbohydrates. Normally, the human body gets its main source of energy (sugar) from carbs. However, the ketogenic diet deprives the body of glucose, inducing a state of “ketosis.”
During ketosis, the body is forced to break down stored fat instead of sugar to produce an alternative source of energy. The ketogenic, or “keto,” diet has been around for centuries. Traditionally, some have used it as a therapy for conditions such as diabetes and epilepsy. Newer studies have started to examine the therapeutic potential of the keto diet for other conditions, such as cancer, polycystic ovary syndrome, and Alzheimer’s disease.
The keto diet’s potential as cancer treatment
For instance, recent research has suggested that the keto diet could complement standard cancer therapies such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The diet could boost the power of conventional cancer treatment by selectively inducing metabolic oxidative stress in cancer cells, but not in normal ones.
