Can a Keto Diet Treat Brain Cancer? Exploring Hospital Low Carb Diet Options
Emerging research and some remarkable patient stories suggest the ketogenic diet might aid brain cancer treatment.
Disclaimer: Using ketogenic diets to aid cancer therapy is a controversial topic with limited human trial data; most data comes from animal studies. This guide does not claim that ketogenic diets are proven to help in cancer therapy. However, we present the data and ongoing research to highlight the potential therapeutic role. Any use of keto would be in addition to standard cancer treatments like surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.
Discuss all dietary changes with your physician. If they resist starting a keto diet, share this post for a collaborative discussion.
In July 2017, when U.S. Senator John McCain was diagnosed with an aggressive brain cancer, neuro-oncology researcher Dr. Adrienne C. Scheck tried to contact his family in Arizona. She posted on his daughter’s Facebook group, linking to her research at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, where McCain lived.
Scheck advised McCain to try the ketogenic diet alongside standard therapies of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Sadly, neither McCain, who died in August 2018, nor his family responded.
Over a decade, Scheck has studied altering cancer cell metabolism, particularly with the ketogenic diet, to improve survival and reduce side effects for malignant brain tumor patients. McCain had glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), a deadly brain cancer with an average survival time of 18 months. Despite surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, McCain died 12 months after diagnosis.
The Link Between Keto and Cancer
Scheck says, “Based on our research, I believe GBM patients should start a therapeutic ketogenic diet immediately, along with standard therapy. Our preclinical research suggests it enhances radiation and chemotherapy and boosts the anti-tumor immune response. There’s nothing to lose by trying it.”
Scheck never heard from McCain’s family; she thinks they were overwhelmed with advice and may have incorrectly viewed the ketogenic diet as a fad. Scheck emphasizes the ketogenic diet for GBM is not a fad. “It’s a structured metabolic therapy with peer-reviewed science backing it,” she says.
Currently, several clinical trials at clinicaltrials.gov are studying the ketogenic diet’s role in glioblastoma treatment.
While most data is preclinical with few clinical trials, one systematic review found encouraging preclinical evidence but no clear survival benefit in clinical trials yet.
Considering other cancers like lung, breast, pancreatic, prostate, and melanoma, numerous clinical trials are investigating the ketogenic diet as an adjunct to standard cancer therapy. Research on the ketogenic diet’s role in cancer has grown significantly over the past decade, with over 400 studies currently available.
How Carbs Fuel Cancer
The argument for using the ketogenic diet to combat cancer hinges on cancers needing glucose for rapid growth. This explains how PET scans diagnose cancer: injected radioactive sugar highlights malignant cells using glucose faster than normal cells. Glutamine, an amino acid released during protein breakdown, can also fuel cancer growth.
The ketogenic diet aims to starve cancer cells of glucose and glutamine, using ketones as fuel instead. “Normal cells can switch to ketones for energy; cancer cells cannot,” explains Dr. Thomas Seyfried, author of “Cancer as a Metabolic Disease.”
Seyfried’s 2015 paper promotes a calorie-restricted ketogenic diet for glioblastoma, aiming to deprive GBM cells of their main energy source, glucose. This weakens cancer cells, making them more vulnerable to treatments like radiation and chemotherapy.
This concept, called “Press-Pulse” theory, involves stressing cancer cells by depriving them of glucose and suppressing insulin signaling (the press), then hitting them with treatments like hyperbaric oxygen or chemotherapy (the pulse).
Professor D’Agostino’s Lab
“Denying cancer cells glucose is like taking the foot off the gas pedal,” says Dominic D’Agostino, whose research focuses on nutritional neuroscience. He suggests a ketogenic diet with targeted intermittent fasting, guided by an experienced clinician, could enhance conventional cancer therapy.
D’Agostino stresses that research on ketogenic diets and cancer is still in its infancy. “We need more clinical data on applying these concepts to GBM patients,” he cautions. “However, it’s reasonable for GBM patients to implement a ketogenic diet alongside standard therapy with a qualified nutritionist.”
Patient Stories of Controlling Brain Cancer with Keto
Pablo Kelly, 28, from Devon, UK, was diagnosed with GBM in 2014 and credits the ketogenic diet with saving his life. His inoperable tumor was in the parietal lobe with a strand extending into the motor cortex. Kelly started a calorie-restricted ketogenic diet after diagnosis, supplementing with exogenous ketones, MCT oil, and anti-inflammatory supplements. This shrank his tumor enough for a 2017 awake craniotomy to remove 90%. Follow-up MRIs show no cancer growth. Kelly shares his journey on Facebook and through media to inspire others.
Canadian teenager Adam Sorenson was diagnosed with Stage IV GBM in September 2013. His parents researched and devised a protocol combining a ketogenic diet (80% fat, 15% protein, 5% carbs) with radiation, hyperbaric oxygen, and metformin. Four months later, an MRI showed no visible tumor. Adam continues the diet and metformin. His father notes the diet isn’t easy for teens but helps Adam live. Adam spoke at the 2016 Global Symposium on Ketogenic Therapies in Banff, Alberta.
Brad Sorenson, CEO of two biotech companies, believes starting the keto diet before radiation and avoiding steroids were key. He shares their protocol with others but emphasizes it’s not medical advice. “I don’t believe the diet alone is a game-changer, but it improves the efficacy of other cancer treatments,” says Brad. “Adam’s story is anecdotal, but I’m confident he wouldn’t be alive today with just standard care.”
