Ketogenic diet because it is high in Fat, moderate in protein and low in carbohydrate, actually changes how energy is used in the body. Fat is converted in the Liver to fatty acids or ketone bodies which the body can comfortably run on.
Ketogenic Diet & Cancer
Over100 years ago, a scientist Otto Warburg discovered that cancer cells obtained energy (ATP) from glucose by fermentation to lactic acid without oxygen. This means that cancer cells thrive on glucose.
Every cancer patient is usually made to understand that any food that the end product is glucose should be avoided as much as possible. Thankfully in a ketogenic diet, the body runs on fatty acid for energy which research has shown that cancer cells are unable to metabolize. It is therefore logical that the swtiching to a ketogenic lifestyle deprives the cancer cells of glucose thereby killing them off.
Dr Thomas Seyfired in his wonderful book which I recommend to all my readers Cancer as a Metabolic Disease: On the Origin, Management and Prevention of Cancer, through thorough research have shown that by using the ketogenic diet great results have been achieved on cancer patients. So the first step in Cancer cure is to starve the cancer.
Rainer J Klement and Ulrite Krammer in their article Is there a role for carbohydrate restriction in the treatment and prevention of cancer?, have been able research and come to the following conclusions that first, malignant cells depend on steady glucose availability in the blood for their energy and biomass but arenot able to metabolize significant amount of fatty acids due to mitochondrial dysfunction.
Second, high insulin and insulin-like growth factor as a result of chronic eating of carbohydrate-rich foods encourage the multiplication of tumour cells.
Third,fatty accids or ketone bodies that are elevated when insulin and blood glucose levels are low, have beeb shown to negatively affect the prolification of different malignant cells.
In conclusion,the ketogenic lifestyle is a great way of not just curing cancer but also in preventing it. The best thing to do is to share this post with all our loved ones. Yes, cancer is preventable while on a ketogenic lifestyle.
REFERENCES
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warburg_effect
- Seyfried TN. Cancer as a Metabolic Disease
- Klement RJ, Kammerer U. Is there a role for carbohydrate restriction in the treatment and prevention of cancer?
