Starving the Cancer Out

Could something as simple as a change in diet really make a difference in the pancreatic cancer fight?

I'm not sure, but there's a growing tide of interest in the Ketogenic Diet.   As you can read in this link, the ketogenic diet is not for the faint of heart.  Removing all sugar, carbohydrates and fruit from your diet is severe in the extreme.

But...

If it worked?  Can you imagine?  If a diet could slow or even stop the progression of the disease?

Mom suffered thru the harsh realities of radiation and chemotherapy.  I think she could have handled the deprivation of sugar... that seems like a walk in the park compared to the brutal side-effects of the current traditional therapies. 

And yet, I'm always cautious.  Claims that seem to good to be true... And so, I invite you to visit with Martin.  He's an amazing gentleman, husband and father.  He also just happens to have pancreatic cancer.  He is documenting his journey on a blog called Fighting Pancreatic Cancer.   And fighting he is.  With all that is at his disposal.  One of his weapons is the Ketogenic Diet.  If you are at all interested in this diet, I encourage you to read through some of his experiences here and here.

As you can see, Martin is using the diet in conjunction with many traditional medical treatments.  This is the premise behind a new study at The Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Iowa.  This clinical trial is currently recruiting participants.  They are seeking to answer the question: 

"Can a ketogenic diet exploit a fundamental flaw in cancer cell metabolism and increase the effectiveness of treatment for non-small cell lung and pancreatic cancer? They are working off the premise that relative to normal cells, cancer cells require more glucose to overcome a defect in their mitochondrial metabolism. The high-fat, low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet deprives cancer cells of glucose and forces them to rely on their flawed mitochondrial metabolism. This causes oxidative stress in the cancer cells and appears to make them more susceptible to chemotherapy and radiation. This clinical trial has been funded to investigate whether this diet can improve outcomes for patients with these cancers."

 As always, I strongly encourage you to talk with your healthcare provider or oncologist before leaping into a new diet.  But if you are even a tiny bit interested...

Seriously, have we got anything to lose? 

Except possibly those loathsome cancer cells...