Researchers at the University of California San Francisco have shed new light on the potential role of the ketogenic diet in cancer treatment, particularly in preventing the growth of pancreatic cancer in mice. The study, which combines a high-fat ketogenic diet with a new cancer treatment currently in clinical trials, has shown promise in starving cancer cells and reducing tumor size.

The research, published in Nature, reveals how a high-fat diet, in combination with cancer therapy, blocked fat metabolism in the mice, effectively starving the cancer cells of the fuel they needed to grow. The tumors ceased to grow for as long as the mice were kept on the ketogenic diet.

This discovery originated from the researcher’s initial goal of understanding how the body sustains itself during fasting. This process involves a protein known as eukaryotic translation initiation factor (eIF4E), which triggers fat consumption during fasting – a process that also occurs while on a ketogenic diet.

The study revealed that the cancer drug eFT508, currently undergoing clinical trials, blocks the action of eIF4E and the ketogenic pathway, halting fat metabolism in the body. When eFT508 was combined with a ketogenic diet in a pancreatic cancer animal model, the cancer cells were effectively starved and the tumors reduced in size.

Senior author of the study, Davide Ruggero, PhD, believes that these findings open up new possibilities for using diet-drug combinations to treat other types of cancer. He stated, “We expect most cancers to have other vulnerabilities. This is the foundation for a new way to treat cancer with diet and personalized therapies.”

While the research has been labeled as intriguing and full of potential, Melanie Murphy Richter, a registered dietitian nutritionist who was not involved in the study, stressed that further human trials are needed. She highlighted the complexities of the human body and the potential challenges a strict diet can pose to those already undergoing rigorous cancer treatment.

Anton Bilchik, MD, PhD, a surgical oncologist not involved in the study, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the need for caution. He highlighted that this diet’s potential to cause further weight loss could negatively impact the immune system’s ability to fight cancer, especially in pancreatic cancer patients who often experience significant weight loss.

Richter noted that while the ketogenic diet may result in increased stress, inflammation, and nutrient deficiencies over time, an alternative approach such as the Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD) could be a more feasible option. This diet requires only a five-day commitment during cancer treatment, making it simpler to adopt than maintaining a strict ketogenic diet over an extended period.

In conclusion, Richter emphasized the importance of personalized medicine and the potential for tailoring treatments to target the specific weaknesses of different cancers. This could lead to more effective therapies with fewer toxic side effects.