The keto diet and cancer: Why some doctors believe ketosis ‘starves’ tumors

Author: Stephen Johnson / Source: Big Think

The keto diet is known to be an effective tool for weight loss, but in recent years some–including some doctors–have claimed the diet has cancer-reversing qualities.
Although the theory might someday be proven correct, far more research is needed before scientists know whether the diet can be used as a safe and effective treatment for cancer.
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A 2018 study did show one promising use for the keto diet in treating cancer, though it was purely used a supplemental tool in conjunction with a conventional approach.

Like any trendy diet worth its balanced portion of salt, the keto diet is said to hold transformative powers. Proponents say it can help people lose weight, improve mood and experience fewer epileptic seizures. For the most part, the science seems to back these claims up — though, to be sure, it’s not completely understood how exactly the keto diet affects mood (particularly depression), despite anecdotal evidence the diet might lead to clearer thinking and fewer symptoms of depression.

The boldest claim about the keto diet, however, is that entering a state of ketosis — which occurs when the body begins burning fat instead of glucose for fuel — can slow or even reverse cancer. It’s an idea that stems from a century-old theory about the primary cause of cancer.

Cancer and metabolism

In the 1920s, a German biochemist named Otto Warburg observed that most cancers get their fuel differently than normal cells, a phenomenon dubbed the “Warburg effect”. The difference, in simple terms, is that cancer cells consume a lot more glucose than healthy cells. So, because cancer relies heavily on glucose, the idea is that putting your body in a state of ketosis — which lowers blood sugar levels — might effectively “starve” cancer cells because there’s less glucose to consume.

This ‘cancer thrives on sugar’ theory can be summed up like this, as Dietarytherapies.com outlined:

Over half of the calories in standard diets come from carbohydrates.
Carbohydrate digestion produces spikes in blood glucose which in turn causes a spike in insulin.
Insulin’s job is to move glucose from the blood into cells.
Cancer cells typically have many more insulin receptors than normal cells.
Limiting carbs restricts the movement of glucose into cancer cells.
When glucose is in short supply, the body will increase its use of fats as fuel.
The liver converts some of this fat to energy molecules called ketones.
Most normal cells (including brain tissue) readily adapt to using ketones.
Tumor cells suffer because they are not as fuel flexible as normal cells.