Ketogenic diet and cancer: what is the link
Cancer is a dreadful disease where the cells in your body multiply at a rate higher than normal. Cancer is amongst the most common causes of death worldwide. However, just like other diseases bringing simple lifestyle changes, like including a healthy diet, can not only prevent 30–50% of all cancers but can aid in the healing process from cancer. Dietary habits have shown to increase or decrease cancer risk. Thus it can be said that nutrition plays quite an important role in coping and treating cancer. One such popular diet that is beneficial in cancer prevention and coping is Ketogenic diet or 'Keto diet.'
Ketogenic diet
The ketogenic diet refers to a diet that is very low-carb, high-fat diet and is quite similar to Atkins and other low-carbohydrate diets. This diet is aimed at reducing your intake of carbs drastically and replacing them with more fat in your diet. This alteration in diet results in your body going into the metabolic state called ketosis. After following this diet for several days, fat becomes the primary energy source of your body. This causes a significant elevation in the levels of compounds known as ketone bodies in your bloodstream.
Generally, a ketogenic diet used for weight loss comprises of around 60-75% of calories in the form of fat, with 15-30% of calories from protein sources and only a minute 5-10% of calories from carbohydrate sources. However, when this ketogenic diet is therapeutically used for the treatment of cancer. The fat content is quite higher, which is around 90% of calories, and the protein content somewhat lower.
All cancer cells have one common trait, which is they are dependent on carbohydrates or blood sugar for growing and multiplying regularly and rapidly. When you on a ketogenic diet, some of the metabolic processes of your body are changed, and your blood sugar levels decrease to a great extent. Thus a state of starvation occurs that deprives the cancer cells of fuel. As in all living cells, the long-term effect of this "starvation" is that the cancer cells grow even more slowly, shrink in size, and even die possibly. Therefore a ketogenic diet can be quite helpful in reducing the progression of cancer as it is linked with causing a massive decrease in the levels of blood sugar.
