Nutrition
Carbohydrates and Cancer
Recent studies demonstrate the connection between carbohydrate metabolism, blood sugar, and cancer risk. A ketogenic diet combined with immunotherapy shows promise against certain cancers.
Nutrition
Recent studies demonstrate the connection between carbohydrate metabolism, blood sugar, and cancer risk. A ketogenic diet combined with immunotherapy shows promise against certain cancers.
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When it comes to what carbohydrates have to do with cancer, there are certainly at least three different groups of people:
To put it as briefly as possible: Carbohydrates, as one of the body's main energy carriers, can have a major influence on the behavior of (degenerated) cells. And: In many people, this finely-tuned carbohydrate metabolism has become dysregulated (keyword: insulin resistance, diabetes).
It's therefore not surprising that research has been observing for decades a certain interweaving between carbohydrate and fat metabolism, the immune system, and tumor development.
Two recent studies demonstrate this impressively.
In the first study¹, researchers report that "a metabolic product associated with diabetes, obesity, and poor diet can increase cancer risk."
Sounds interesting? Scientists discovered that methylglyoxal, a product of carbohydrate metabolism, inhibits cellular tumor defense and thus increases cancer risk – especially in people who carry mutations of the well-known "breast cancer gene" BRCA2.
In whom is methylglyoxal demonstrably elevated? Very simply: Levels spike with elevated blood sugar, which can be well captured as the "long-term blood sugar value" HbA1c. That means:
Chronically elevated blood sugar increases cancer risk!
In another recent study², it was shown how reduced activity of carbohydrate metabolism protects against prostate cancer. How do you do this in the lab? By eliminating carbohydrates from your experimental animals ("ketogenic diet").
For context: Prostate cancer shows resistance to otherwise promising immunotherapy. Also in this experimental model.
While immunotherapy alone in the animals had no benefit (!), the combination of a supplement with a ketone body (β-hydroxybutyrate) or a ketogenic diet plus immunotherapy showed robust success.
Sensational. As a reminder: Often with cancer you only delay progression—a "cure" is something else entirely. Therefore these results are so crucial.
Important here is that ketogenic diet plus immunotherapy was good, but ketone body plus immunotherapy was equally good or even better – so it's primarily about the effect of ketone bodies.
Caution! Unfortunately life is rarely black and white. Because: Keto by itself often doesn't help against cancer in studies, and some tumors even primarily oxidize fats. One should therefore avoid blanket recommendations.
We can conclude that an unhealthy lifestyle increases cancer risk – and that a healthy lifestyle automatically ensures that you regularly have ketone bodies in your blood. Anyone who eliminates refined carbohydrates and table sugar quickly forms ketone bodies.
The lead author of the study correctly states: It's not really about eliminating carbohydrates at all costs. Rather, what matters much more is regularly producing ketone bodies.
So those who live healthy lives kill two birds with one stone: Increased cancer risk decreases and protective effects occur instead more often.
Once again impressively demonstrated.
Li Ren Kong et al. A glycolytic metabolite bypasses "two-hit" tumor suppression by BRCA2. Cell, 2024
Sean Murphy et al. Ketogenic diet alters the epigenetic and immune landscape of prostate cancer to overcome resistance to immune checkpoint blockade therapy. Cancer Research, 2024
