Could Ketogenic Diet Help Fight Pancreatic Cancer? New Study Says it is Possible

A ketogenic or keto diet can help fight pancreatic cancer, according to a new study.

Researchers discovered the health benefits of a ketogenic diet, when combined with triple-drug therapy, can help kill pancreatic cancer cells in the body.

Potential Treatment

Pork belly lettuce on a plate, which can also qualify under the ketogenic diet. Photo by Ilya S Savenok/Getty Images for Rodale

The new study was published in the journal Med on February 11, highlighting that a ketogenic diet can synergize with chemotherapy to disrupt the metabolism and growth of pancreatic cancer cells.

This is made possible by using three doses of hydroxybutyrate as part of the triple-drug therapy reportedly developed by the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen).

The result yielded that there was redox stress in pancreatic cancer cells. This means that the cancer cells have shown higher sensitivity to chemotherapy when induced by hydroxybutyrate.

Also Read: Ketogenic Diet Can be used to Control Seizures

Ketogenic Diet

According to a review by Harvard University - School of Public Health, the ketogenic diet or keto diet has been used in the past as a test to monitor not only cancer but also diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Under a keto diet plan or keto snacks, allowed foods only consist of low carbohydrates and low sugar, as well as high protein and high fat foods.

The diet is called keto since it pertains to ketones; which are substances produced by the cells when blood sugar (glucose) is not enough.

A multitude of previous research there is a direct relation between the food we eat and our glucose.

Since a keto diet encourages a low-carb or low-sugar intake, the glucose level starts to decrease and releases the ketones.

Ketosis

The body enters the state of ketosis, both a condition and a process where the number of ketones in the body is significantly high.

It is also a state where there is a continuous production of ketones, resulting in the burning of fat as the body no longer has carbohydrates as a source of energy, as per WebMD.

However, WebMD laid out some of the ketosis' symptoms and side effects, including the so-called "keto flu" and other conditions like headache, fatigue, irritability, constipation, and bad breath, also known as ketosis breath.

Autophagy

Not only does ketosis burn fat, it also allows the body to enable autophagy¸ a natural biological cleansing process at the cellular level.

Under autophagy, unhealthy or unnecessary cells are being discarded in replacement of a new cell.

Autophagy can also be achieved via intermittent fasting.

In relation to the new study, both ketosis and autophagy helped chemotherapy kill pancreatic cancer cells. However, this is potentially only made possible when the researchers combined used the triple-drug therapy.

The drug served as a catalyst that boosted the cell-recycling effects of autophagy, which eventually helped against fighting the pancreatic cancer cells.

In light of the new study, the new method may serve as a potential therapy and cure for pancreatic cancer in the future.

Pancreatic Cancer

The American Cancer Society estimated that pancreatic cancer in the United States will affect 62,210 people and kill 49,830 people in the country in 2022.

Furthermore, the organization stated that pancreatic cancer is responsible for around 3% of all diagnosed cancers in the US and 7% of all deaths related to cancer.