High fat keto diet for cancer patients
Cancer cell growth is primarily about mitochondrial damage which, triggers cell mutation. Normal cells produce energy aerobically (in mitochondria), on the contrary cancer cells produce energy anaerobically.
Warburg, with his extensive research concluded that its this shift in energy production from aerobic to anaerobic pathway that cells turn cancerous.
Therefore to reverse cancer one must disrupt this process of anaerobic energy production.
Cancer cells clearly rely on sugars for energy production, cutting this cord will most definitely help cancer cells to start shrinking.
Interestingly anti-diabetic drug Metformin has shown anticancer effect,very obviously the primary reason for it is its capacity to reduce blood sugar levels, therefore it can safely be used to treat/prevent cancer,however in my opinion there are other safer options available such as Berberine,which has the same effect in lowering blood glucose levels but does not affect the vitamin B12 levels like Metformin.
Its very evident from above that Diet is a most crucial tool in handling patient with cancer.
Diet high in fats, upto 85% along with moderate proteins 7-10% and only high fiber carbohydrates 10-15%
Keys is “Healthy Fats”
Please note majority of people relate to unhealthy fats, Sources of healthy fats are as below:
Olives & Olive oil
Coconuts & Coconut oil
Butter made from raw grass fed organic milk
Raw nuts, such as walnuts, pecans, and seeds like black sesame, cumin, pumpkin, and hemp seeds
Organic egg yolks
Avocados
Grass fed meats
Ghee
Animal based omega 3 oils such as krill oil.
Carbohydrates
High fiber carbohydrates as these do not get digested and broken down into sugar, you need to keep track of your net carb intake, its calculated by taking total number of carbs in grams and subtracting the amount of fiber contained in that food.
Source of high fiber carbs is :
Psyllium husk
Onions and sweet potatoes
Cauliflower
Raw nuts
Berries
Green beans
Peas
Broccoli & Brussel sprouts
Chia seeds
All the above mentioned food sources pf carbs can be had safely on anticancer diet keeping net carbs below 40 to 50 gms per day
Proteins:
Consuming excessive proteins can feed cancer! stick to 40 to 60 grams daily is appropriate.
Substantial amount of protein can be found in
Meat,
Fish,
Eggs,
Dairy products,
Legumes
Nuts
Seeds
Broccoli
apart from these dietary interventions, our detoxification protocols ( Intravenous high dose vitamin C , Glutathione and Chelation where required) Help substantially bring inflammation down and as we all know inflammation is the key to optimum functioning of the mitochondria and as inflammation comes down our body starts to heal on its own.
Dr Kalpana Shekhawat-M.D.
Functional medicines specialist
BHRT Consultant