Dietary changes to remove the Warburg Effect and prevent cancer

Yesterday, I published The Carcinogenic Effects of the SARS-CoV-2. I discussed the papers that showed how the SARS-CoV-2 virus could cause cancer.

The COVID-19 virus can cause changes in the infected cell’s machinery to use the glycolytic pathway and produce the Warburg effect.

The Warburg effect is when cancer cells consume sugar (glucose) for energy. One everyday use of the Warburg effect principle is the Positron Emission Tomography scan (P.E.T. scan).

P.E.T. scans use a radioactive tracer coupled to glucose. Cancer cells consume the glucose together with the radioactive dye. The cancer cell that consumed the radioactive glucose which will later show up in the scanner.

So, will limiting sugar or carbohydrate intake help prevent cancer if cancer cells consume sugar?

The ketogenic diet and cancer

The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet (<50 grams).

An article by Talib and colleagues shows that the ketogenic diet reduces energy supplies to cells and produces an unfavorable metabolic environment for cancer cells.

In Ketogenic diet in the treatment of cancer – Where do we stand?[2] the authors reviewed 87 studies, including 30 clinical research. They conclude,

The ketogenic diet probably creates an unfavorable metabolic environment for cancer cells and thus can be regarded as a promising adjuvant as a patient-specific multifactorial therapy.

The majority of preclinical and several clinical studies argue for the use of the ketogenic diet in combination with standard therapies based on its potential to enhance the antitumor effects of classic chemo- and radiotherapy, its overall good safety and tolerability and increase in quality of life.

Note: Adjuvant therapy is in addition to chemo and radiation therapy.

Source: Ketogenic diet in the treatment of cancer – Where do we stand? Mol Metab. 2020 Mar;33:102-121.

In the review article, Could ketogenic diet “starve” cancer, the authors discussed several positive effects of the ketogenic diet on cancer.

Ketogenic diets inhibit glucose/insulin signaling, oxidative stress reduction, improve mitochondrial metabolism, and decrease inflammation.

However, a ketogenic diet is challenging to do, and the authors recommend that a nutritionist should be involved in planning the diet.[3]

Despite the evidence, randomized clinical trials are still needed to make the recommendations mainstream.

Cancer and proteins

Cutting down on carbohydrates can make someone increase their protein intake while on the ketogenic diet. Research from M.I.T. adds caution to protein intake.[1]

Hosios et al. showed that glutamine, an amino acid, contributes to the cellular mass of cancer.[1] The research showed that cancer cells could use dietary proteins to multiply.

These findings demonstrate that rates of nutrient consumption are indirectly associated with mass accumulation and suggest that high rates of glucose and glutamine consumption support rapid cell proliferation beyond providing carbon for biosynthesis.

All these talks about low carb and limited protein intake can be confusing if not frustrating to someone who wants to clean up their diet. Especially if you constantly hear that everything should be “low fat.”

An excellent way to start is by following the recommended daily allowance and staying away from sweets!

How much should we eat?

Here is the U.S. Department of Agriculture Dietary Reference Intakes Calculator. Just plug in your age, sex, weight, and other information, and it will tell your daily recommended nutrients.

Thekitchn’s A Visual Guide to Protein Serving Sizes. Using this guide tells you how many macronutrients to eat without a calculator.

Intermittent Fasting and Ketogenic Diet Guides

For those interested in Intermittent Fasting, I highly recommend this book – The Complete Guide to Fasting.

For those who want to try the ketogenic diet, the book, The Wholesome Yum Easy Keto Cookbook: 100 Simple Low Carb Recipes. 10 Ingredients or Less has the highest number of reviews with a 4.5-star rating.

(Links are affiliated with Amazon)

Intermittent fasting and the ketogenic diet have many other health benefits. They help to lose weight, lower cardiovascular risks, and control type 2 diabetes. Learn more about intermittent fasting under the related articles below.

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Reference:

Hosios AM, et al. Amino Acids Rather than Glucose Account for the Majority of Cell Mass in Proliferating Mammalian Cells. Dev Cell. 2016 Mar 7;36(5):540-9. doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2016.02.012. PMID: 26954548; PMCID: PMC4766004.
Weber D.D., et al. Ketogenic diet in the treatment of cancer – Where do we stand? Mol Metab. 2020 Mar;33:102-121. doi: 10.1016/j.molmet.2019.06.026. Epub 2019 Jul 27. PMID: 31399389; PMCID: PMC7056920.
Barrea L, Obesity Programs of nutrition, Education, Research and Assessment (OPERA) group et al. Could ketogenic diet “starve” cancer? Emerging evidence. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2022;62(7):1800-1821. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2020.1847030. Epub 2020 Dec 4. PMID: 33274644.

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