posted on Feb, 6 2017 @ 08:36 PM
I've done a comprehensive amount of study on cancer treatments (unintentionally) over the last few years. I was actually looking at different ways to
lose weight, but it turns out my treatment for losing weight quickly is also trumpeted as a cancer treatment. Fun fact is it is also used to treat
epilepsy. I know it works for weight loss, but fortunately I've never had cancer to test it in that way.
Ketosis
What I am referring to is Ketosis or a Ketogenic diet. Before I get into it I want to give you full disclosure that I am not a doctor and many people
out on the internet are religious about this diet without necessarily considering all the facts. Not unlike the evangelistic vegans. So cross check
everything people say.
The basic idea (As I understand it) is that the body can run on two different fuel sources Glucose(sugar) and Ketones(fat). When eating a diet high in
fat and low in carbs/sugar your liver produces more ketones. Your body will transition it's metabolic state from glycolysis to ketosis. Normal cells
will become adapted to using ketones as a fuel source, while cancer cells are unable to make this change and effectively become starved.
Your body will always maintain a glucose level of around 4mmol/L at a minimum even in starvation so you cant completely starve the cancer out. However
since cancer cells can have as many as 20x the glucose receptors as normal cells they usually win the competition for glucose uptake. The goal with
this diet is to both slow down the cancer growth and make sure the normal cells are healthy and getting the energy they need. If cancer cells can't
use ketones that means it all goes to normal cells. Some say this diet can eliminate cancer on it's own (Jury might be out on this still), but at the
very least it should be considered using in combination with conventional therapies. (In my opinion)
Side Effects
- If you are Type 1 diabetic you can actually get ketoacidosis. This type of of diet could be dangerous.
- Everyone goes through what's called the "keto flu". It's explained as yeast die off in the gut releasing toxins and such into the bloodstream. The
bad bacteria in your gut die when they don't get the refined carbs/sugars they need. You will feel very bad for anywhere from 2 days to 2 weeks. For
me I usually just feel lethargic for a couple days, but my friends get it way worse.
Other Info
While the diet does advocate for anywhere from 70-85% of your calories to come from fat a couple things are often overlooked...
1. That number does not consider fiber because it does not contribute to digested calories. By volume your diet should actually still be 70% green
leafy food and fiber, maybe even more. The fiber does not get used as energy in the human body, which is why the diet says 70%+ of your energy needs
come from fat. It's confusing I know...
2. Quality of the fats are important. Bacon is still bad for you (Sorry). I still eat bacon because it tastes amazing. Let's face facts though, even
if the fat content was proven to be healthy is still contains lots of toxins. Avocados, olives and flaxseed are great sources of vegetarian fats. Fish
and grass fed beef are good source of non vegetarian fat.
The long term health benefits of this diet are debatable and it's highly controversial. We're not talking about a permanent lifestyle change though.
For the purpose of this discussion I am suggesting it as an option to supplement (Not replace) conventional cancer treatments.
Talk to a Doctor, do your research. And don't do anything strictly on the advice of people in this forum (Including me).