Written by Shashikant Iyengar, Metabolic Health Coach
Shashikant Iyengar is a Metabolic Health Coach from India, specializing in low-carb/ketogenic diets to help clients worldwide manage chronic health conditions, including the remission of type 2 diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and mental & neurological disorders. He offers personalized, evidence-based guidance to empower lasting health transformations.
Cancer treatment has traditionally centred on methods like chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. However, recent research indicates that metabolic strategies, particularly the ketogenic diet, may play a promising role in supporting cancer therapy. This low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet shifts the body’s primary energy source from glucose to ketones, potentially limiting glucose availability to cancer cells. This article delves into groundbreaking research from Dr Thomas Seyfried, Dr Nasha Winters, Dr Matthew Phillips, and author Sam Apple, alongside the role of the Glucose Ketone Index (GKI) in managing cancer through ketogenic protocols.
The Warburg effect: Cancer’s metabolic weakness
The Warburg effect, a concept pioneered by Otto Warburg, describes how cancer cells primarily use glycolysis for energy, even when oxygen is present. This preference for glucose-based metabolism reveals a unique vulnerability in cancer cells: their dependency on glucose. The ketogenic diet, by reducing glucose and promoting ketone production, aims to exploit this weakness. Ketones, unlike glucose, cannot be efficiently utilized by many types of cancer cells, thus potentially inhibiting their growth and survival.
Dr Thomas Seyfried: Cancer as a metabolic disease
Dr Thomas Seyfried, a leading figure in metabolic cancer research, posits that cancer is primarily a metabolic, rather than genetic, disease. His work, particularly in Cancer as a Metabolic Disease, presents evidence that restricting glucose and elevating ketone levels can “starve” cancer cells, slowing their growth while supporting healthy cells that can efficiently utilize ketones. Seyfried’s research has inspired clinicians to explore ketogenic dietary protocols as a complementary cancer treatment.
Dr Nasha Winters: The terrain-based approach
Dr Nasha Winters, a naturopathic oncologist, brings an integrative view to cancer care with her terrain-based approach, outlined in The Metabolic Approach to Cancer. She emphasises the significance of metabolic flexibility, inflammation reduction, and glucose limitation to create an internal environment less conducive to cancer. According to Dr Winters, the ketogenic diet is a powerful tool to manage blood glucose and insulin levels, improving patient resilience against cancer’s progression. Her work underscores the importance of individualizing the ketogenic protocol to fit each patient’s metabolic needs.
Dr Matthew Phillips: Exploring ketogenic therapy in glioblastoma
Dr Matthew Phillips has contributed significantly to research on the ketogenic diet as an adjunctive cancer therapy, particularly in glioblastoma—a highly aggressive brain cancer. His clinical trials have shown that ketogenic interventions may improve quality of life and even slow disease progression in glioblastoma patients when used alongside standard treatments. Dr Phillips’s studies suggest that the ketogenic diet’s ability to limit glucose availability and reduce inflammation may support neurological health and counteract cancerous growth in the brain, an area with limited treatment options.
Sam Apple’s work: Cancer, insulin, and sugar
Sam Apple’s Ravenous connects historical insights on cancer metabolism with modern scientific understanding of the link between insulin, sugar, and cancer. Building on Otto Warburg’s findings, Apple argues that high sugar intake and insulin resistance create an environment favourable to cancer. Elevated insulin and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) can stimulate cancer growth by promoting cell proliferation and reducing apoptosis. His work emphasizes that insulin resistance is not only a precursor to diabetes but also an independent risk factor for various cancers, including breast, colon, and pancreatic cancer.
The link between insulin resistance and cancer
Insulin resistance is strongly linked to increased cancer risk. Studies indicate that hyperinsulinemia and high blood glucose fuel cancer cell proliferation. A recent study in Nature (Gallagher et al., 2020) demonstrated how insulin resistance supports cancer growth by activating pathways that promote cell survival. Another study in Diabetologia (Saydah et al., 2019) found that insulin resistance significantly increases the likelihood of developing multiple cancer types. Addressing insulin resistance, therefore, is crucial not only for metabolic health but also as a preventative measure against cancer.
Measuring the Glucose Ketone Index (GKI) in cancer
For patients using a ketogenic diet in cancer therapy, tracking the Glucose Ketone Index (GKI) is a valuable tool to gauge metabolic status. The GKI is calculated as the ratio of glucose to ketone levels in the blood, offering a precise way to measure the body’s shift from glucose to ketones as the primary energy source. Studies suggest that maintaining a low GKI may correlate with a metabolic environment less favourable to cancer cell growth. Dr Seyfried’s work emphasizes that for therapeutic ketosis in cancer, an ideal GKI is typically below 1.0, as this reflects a state where glucose is minimized, and ketone availability is high.
The ketogenic diet for insulin-resistant patients with cancer
The ketogenic diet holds promise in both improving insulin sensitivity and reducing systemic glucose, which may create a metabolic environment less favourable for cancer. By managing blood glucose and insulin levels, the diet supports metabolic flexibility and inhibits the glucose-dependent pathways that cancer cells rely on. This dual role makes it an effective approach for cancer patients, particularly those with insulin resistance or metabolic syndrome, aligning with the work of Seyfried, Winters, Phillips, and Apple.
Conclusion
The ketogenic diet, with its ability to exploit the metabolic vulnerabilities of cancer cells, is emerging as a promising adjunctive therapy for cancer. As evidenced by the work of Dr Seyfried, Dr Winters, Dr Phillips, and Sam Apple, a focus on cancer metabolism may provide new pathways for managing the disease. Additionally, tracking GKI helps ensure patients are in a state of ketosis supportive of cancer therapy. While more clinical data is needed, the ketogenic diet offers a compelling approach for those with insulin resistance or other metabolic imbalances that increase cancer risk.
Read more from Shashikant Iyengar
Shashikant Iyengar, Metabolic Health Coach
Shashikant Iyengar is a prominent advocate for metabolic health in India, known for his expertise in low-carb/ketogenic diets. With multiple certifications in the low carb/ keto space & 35 years of pharma selling in Abbott & Pfizer, he brings a wealth of knowledge to his practice. He has co-organized India's 1st ever low-carb conference along with Anup Singh the pioneer of low carb in India. This conference called as Metabolic Health Conference has significantly influenced the country's approach to managing metabolic disorders. He actively contributes to educating the public & healthcare professionals via social media like Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook & conferences. He is a leading figure in the global metabolic health community.
