Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Dana-Farber Institute of Oncology have found out which diet reduces the risk of developing cancer: it turned out that a fasting diet strongly contributes to this. It is she who can slow down the development of cancers. These findings were published in the journal Nature.
Cancer cells use glucose as a source of nutrition. Scientists have suggested that a fasting or ketogenic diet may have a negative effect on tumor growth by limiting available substances.
However, experiments on mice with pancreatic cancer have shown that a fasting diet has a much more positive effect on cancer development compared to a ketogenic diet. In other words, the amount of glucose does not play a significant role in slowing down tumor growth.
The scientists analyzed the growth of pancreatic cancer cells depending on the type of diet. Blood sugar levels decreased with both diets. However, with a fasting diet, the level of lipids also decreased, and with a ketogenic diet, on the contrary, it increased.
Lipids are necessary for the construction of tumor cell membranes. If tumors do not receive enough lipids from the outside, they are forced to produce these substances on their own. This process requires the enzyme stearyl coenzyme A desaturase (SCD), which converts some fatty acids into others.
The study found that both diets reduced SCD activity, but cancer cells on a ketogenic diet still had sufficient lipids. Mice on a fasting diet could not compensate for the deficiency of fatty acids from food or their own production, which significantly slowed down the growth of tumors.
Thus, the study proved that diets high in fat and low in carbohydrates may be associated with an increase in patients’ life expectancy.
For those who value a healthy lifestyle, we recommend reading: “McDonald’s has recommended two of its popular weight loss dishes.”
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