Could the keto diet fuel the fight against cancer?

One trial suggests so

When paired with one experimental drug, the keto diet has shown promising potential in slowing the growth of cancer cells. Here’s why scientists are optimistic to find out more. 

Cancer cells, like any cells in the human body, require a source of fuel to survive and metastasise. Subsequently, they turn to glucose stores in the blood as their main energy source. 

For decades, cancer treatment plans have followed a similar trajectory: eradicate the presence of cancer cells in the body at any cost – including the body’s healthy cells and function. But as the rate of cancer continues to rise globally, the demand for less invasive and damaging treatment courses has never been greater. 

As research continues to explore the effects of certain diets on the growth rate of cancer cells, new findings regarding intermittent fasting or the ketogenic diet look as if they could lead scientists one step closer towards a cancer-free future.

How the keto diet impacts cancerous cell growth 

Low in carbohydrates and high in fat, the keto diet has long been endorsed by people looking to commandeer their health by boosting metabolism and reducing appetite. It’s also been associated with protecting the body against cancer cell growth. 

The keto diet encourages the body to break down fat, forming molecules called ketones that serve as an energy source whenever glucose stores are low. In other words, the body’s healthy cells can fuel themselves with this alternative energy source, while cancerous cells are left to starve, as a result of limited glucose. 

New research by the University of California has further explored the cancer-starving potential of the keto diet in hopes of further enhancing a particular new therapy, applying the diet in conjunction with an experimental drug in mice with pancreatic tumours. 

The promising trials of one experimental drug

Focussing on a particular protein often susceptible to cancer cells called eIF4E, the research team noted chemical tags called phosphates are added to the protein as mice transitioned from fed to fasting. 

When the mice were moved onto a ketogenic diet after fasting, the phosphate-tagged protein triggered a shift to using fat as an energy source. The findings suggest that the keto diet when paired with particular cancer drugs could potentially enhance the block of cell growth in certain types of cancerous tumors.

One experimental anti-cancer drug called eFT508 (or tomivosertib), delivered promising results. When given to mice affected with pancreatic tumours, the drug alone did not sufficiently slow the growth rate of cancer, likely because the cancerous cells could continue to be fuelled by carbohydrate stores. 

But, when administered to cancer-inflicted mice on a keto diet, researchers found the cancer cells were starved of glucose and fat, and growth declined significantly. 

"Our findings open a point of vulnerability that we can treat with a clinical inhibitor that we already know is safe in humans,” lead researcher Dr Davide Ruggero says. “We now have firm evidence of one way in which diet might be used alongside pre-existing cancer therapies to precisely eliminate a cancer.”

Originally published as Could the keto diet fuel the fight against cancer?