- A ketogenic diet can interact with certain cancer therapies to block the development of pancreatic cancer in mice, scientists at the University of California San Francisco have found.
- By combining a new treatment still in clinical trials with diet, researchers were able to starve the cancer cells in an animal model of pancreatic cancer, and the tumors shrunk.
- Experts say the concept of a diet-drug combination is promising, but more research on humans needs to be explored.
A ketogenic diet can interact with certain cancer therapies to block the development of pancreatic cancer in mice, scientists at the University of California San Francisco have found.
In a new study published in Nature, researchers document how a high fat diet combined with cancer therapy blocked fat metabolism in the mice, starving the cancer of the fuel it needed for it to continue to grow. As long as the mice were fed the ketogenic diet, the tumors stopped growing.
The findings emerged out of the researchers’ original goal of examining how the body is able to sustain itself while fasting, which can alter metabolism through a protein known as eukaryotic translation initiation factor (eIF4E). This protein causes the body to begin consuming fat during periods of fasting — the same process that occurs under the regime of a ketogenic diet, also thanks to elF4E.
Researchers discovered that eFT508, a new cancer drug currently in clinical trials, blocks eIF4E and the ketogenic pathway so that the body stops metabolizing fat. By combining eFT508 with a ketogenic diet in an animal model of pancreatic cancer, researchers were able to starve the cancer cells, and tumors shrunk.
The findings hold promise for the ability of a diet-and-drug combination to treat other cancers, Davide Ruggero, PhD, Goldberg-Benioff Endowed Professor and American Cancer Society Research Professor in the Departments of Urology and Cellular Molecular Pharmacology at UCSF and senior author of the paper, said in a press release.
“We expect most cancers to have other vulnerabilities,” Ruggero said. “This is the foundation for a new way to treat cancer with diet and personalized therapies.”
Melanie Murphy Richter, a registered dietitian nutritionist and the director of communications for the nutrition company Prolon, who was not involved in the study, told Medical News Today that the findings were intriguing and have great potential, but that more research needs to be done with humans.
“What works in mice doesn’t always translate directly to humans, and the human body is complex. Sticking to such a strict diet, especially when someone is already dealing with the rigors of cancer treatment, isn’t easy. Not to mention, it’s also important to consider the patient’s quality of life. A strict diet can be difficult to maintain, especially for those already dealing with the physical and emotional burdens of cancer.”
— Melanie Murphy Richter
“While this preliminary science is sound, whether this can be practically and safely applied to patients is still up in the air. More research is definitely needed before we can say this is a viable option for people,” she said.
Anton Bilchik, MD, PhD, surgical oncologist, chief of medicine and Director of the Gastrointestinal and Hepatobiliary Program at Providence Saint John’s Cancer Institute in Santa Monica, CA, who was not involved in the study, told Medical News Today that the ability of this particular diet to interact with cancer therapy was promising.
However, he cautioned that the interaction of weight loss and cancer could also backfire, especially with pancreatic cancer.
“Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers and compared to other cancers little progress has been made to make a significant improvement in survival. Any novel idea whether it be a diet or understanding the disease better should be carefully evaluated. Keto diets have been around for several years with studies showing how they may lead to weight loss and an improvement in overall health,” Bilchik said.
“While the findings in this study are fascinating, it is also important to note that many pancreatic cancer patients lose a significant amount of weight either through loss of appetite or the release of substances such as cacechtin, which causes muscle breakdown and weight loss. A diet that may lead to further weight loss could have a negative effect on the immune system and its ability to fight cancer.”
— Anton Bilchik, MD, PhD
A note on fasting-mimicking diet
Richter noted that the ketogenic diet can add stress and inflammation to the body over time, as well as nutrient deficiencies, issues with cholesterol, or strain on the kidneys or liver.
“This study could pave the way for new cancer treatment strategies by leveraging the concept of targeting a cancer cell’s metabolic vulnerabilities. Nutritional approaches like the Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD) have already shown promise by restricting certain nutrients, thereby activating the body’s natural cellular rejuvenation processes, which may help in fighting certain cancers,” Richter said.
“Compared to the ketogenic diet, FMD offers the advantage of requiring only a 5-day commitment during cancer treatment, with minimal lifestyle changes otherwise. This approach could be more feasible and easier to adopt than maintaining a strict ketogenic diet over an extended period,” she said.
Richter pointed out that the template used by researchers in this study could effectively target other cancers by attacking their dependencies.
However, she also suggested that by creating personalized approaches based on the patient and the form of cancer, some of the negative effects of the diets or treatments could be lessened.
“This study highlights the growing importance of personalized medicine. By understanding the unique metabolic needs of different cancers, treatments can be tailored to target those specific weaknesses, potentially leading to more effective and potentially less toxic therapies,” Richter said.
