I have read many different places that both insulin and sugar are much needed in the advance of cancer. The body produces more insulin for carbohydrates/sweets/sugar and after large meals, unless the large meal is only fat maybe with a little protein. Carbs/sugar= lots of insulin, protein= a lot less insulin and fat = 0 insulin.
So it might well be that calorie restriction, low or no carb diets (did traditional uber high fat Eskimo diet eaters get cancer much?) or intermittent fasting will some day be proven to lower the risk of cancer or improve survival once we have it (even cure it? we can hope! ) I think there is some current research along these lines now. Still, there is not a lot of money to be made with such proof, so studies may remain scant.
OTOH, consider: are not most terminal cancer patients effectively on a fast? We don't see many over weight advanced cancer patients, do we?
Also consider: my 40 year old DIL had weight loss surgery. She was on close to a continuous fast, though not a total fast. She just ate so little each day. She was also effectively on a ketogenic(aka Atkins) diet due to so little daily food which = very little carbohydrate, forcing her body to devour it's own fat reserves(ketogenic). We measured the ketones in her urine to confirm that she was in ketosis. After about
a year and 100+ lbs off, we started pushing her to eat more, she had lost more than enough weight. But she just could not do it, no appetite.
Finally, other symptoms other than no appetite arose, and she was diagnosed with stage 4 Mesothelioma and was gone in 5 months.
Point being: a year of starvation and ketogenic diet certainly was no help to her. I even harbor a suspicion that this starvation may have contributed to to this cancer by lowering her immune system. Due to long term lack of essential nutrients, i.e. fat and protein. But who knows? We have a lot to learn, but it seems like it would be simple enough to find out for sure with some good studies.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22323820 Somebody said...
........... Cycles of starvation were as effective as chemotherapeutic agents in delaying progression of different tumors and increased the effectiveness of these drugs against melanoma, glioma, and breast cancer cells. In mouse models of neuroblastoma, fasting cycles plus chemotherapy drugs--but not either treatment alone--resulted in long-term cancer-free survival...........
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25502434 Somebody said...
.........CONCLUSIONS:
Caloric restriction and ketogenic diet are effective against cancer in animal experiments while the role of intermittent fasting is doubtful and still needs exploration. More clinical experiments are needed and more suitable patterns for humans should be investigated.................
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7790697.............
Somebody said...
SETTING:
University Hospitals of Cleveland.
SUBJECTS:
Two female pediatric patients with advanced stage malignant Astrocytoma tumors.
INTERVENTIONS:
Patients were followed as outpatients for 8 weeks. Ketosis was maintained by consuming a 60% medium chain triglyceride oil-based diet.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:
Tumor glucose metabolism was assessed by Positron Emission Tomography (PET), comparing [Fluorine-18] 2-deoxy-2-fluoro-D-glucose (FDG) uptake at the tumor site before and following the trial period.
RESULTS:
Within 7 days of initiating the ketogenic diet, blood glucose levels declined to low-normal levels and blood ketones were elevated twenty to thirty fold. Results of PET scans indicated a 21.8% average decrease in glucose uptake at the tumor site in both subjects. One patient exhibited significant clinical improvements in mood and new skill development during the study. She continued the ketogenic diet for an additional twelve months, remaining free of disease progression.
CONCLUSION:
While this diet does not replace conventional antineoplastic treatments, these preliminary results suggest a potential for clinical application which merits further research.
Post Edited (BillyBob@388) : 4/16/2015 7:51:12 PM (GMT-6)