Ketogenic Diet Could Starve Cancer, Prevent Diabetes, And Make You Lose Weight

In the modern day and age we live in, people worldwide constantly seek alternative diets and ways of life in hopes of preventing major diseases and staying in shape. People appear to be more conscious than ever before when it comes to their food intake, with many options available now that cater to an individual’s specific wants and needs. When it comes to averting illnesses and keeping on track with your weight, there appears to be a developing and rewarding diet that is worth your consideration and attention.

Introducing the Ketogenic Diet. This particular route is a low-carb, high-fat diet that comes with many health benefits. According to HealthLine, over 20 studies show that this specific diet will aid you on your path to weight loss, and prevent significant diseases such as diabetes, cancer, epilepsy, and Alzheimer’s disease. The work of health professionals like Dr. Valter Longo, from the University of Southern California’s Davis School of Gerontology, has also shown that low-calorie diets can slow tumor growth and starve cancer cells of the glucose they require for fermentation.

Let’s start off with what a ketogenic diet entails. By choosing this route, you will be drastically cutting your carbohydrate intake, and essentially replacing it with fat. This reduction in carbs is said to put your body in a metabolic state known as ketosis, according to HealthLine. In this state, your body will adapt to becoming far more efficient at burning fat for energy, which enhances weight loss, and furthermore, turning the fat into ketones in the liver, which becomes a supply of energy for the brain. Through this diet, your blood sugar and insulin levels will decrease, as well as your glucose consumption, and your body’s metabolism will shift away from carbs to fat and ketones instead.

To achieve this, you will need to know what you should and should not consume. According to Diet Doctor, it is recommended to keep your carb intake to under 50 grams per day, as the fewer carbs you eat, the more effective, and you should avoid starchy foods like bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes, which also contain a lot of glucose. What you eat should primarily be high in fat, and moderately high in protein. Your meals should be based on meats, fish, eggs, butter and cheeses, nuts and seeds, healthy oils, avocados, and low-carb vegetables. As for what is recommended to drink, water is always a good idea, as well as coffee or tea, ideally without sugar or sweeteners. In what might excite some, an occasional glass of wine is also acceptable.

In this particular diet, there are different options and versions available to you, according to HealthLine. The standard will include a very low-carb, moderate-protein, and high-fat route, which is broken down into 75% fat, 20% protein, and just 5% carbs. For the cyclical option, it divides the week into five ketogenic days, followed by two high-carb days. In the targeted option, it enables you to add carbs around workouts, and lastly, the high-protein option introduces a ratio of 60% fat, 35% protein, and 5% carbs, similar to the typical ketogenic diet. It’s important to know, that only the standard and high-protein options have been studied in depth, and are the most recommended paths for those looking into this diet. 

When it comes to preventing major diseases like cancer, the idea of the ketogenic diet is that cancer cells need glucose to thrive. A review of some of the available scientific research on the topic by The International Journal of Preventative Medicine showed that the studies “indicate that [the Ketogenic Diet] had an inhibitory effect on tumor growth and 9 researchers expressed that [the Ketogenic Diet] could enhance survival time.” This type of research shows that, since carbs turn into glucose in your body, the limitation of carbs will lower your glucose levels which will deplete cancer cells of their energy source, and essentially starve the cancer cells to death.

This can be further justified by a German researcher by the name of Dr. Otto Warburg, who achieved a Nobel Prize for his discoveries about the differences between cancer cells and healthy cells, and the discovery that malignant tumors feed on sugar. Evidently, sugar can be detrimental and contributes to other diseases as well, so a diet that introduces a much lower sugar and carb intake would certainly be effective in the prevention of significant illnesses. It could also help pre-diabetic and diabetic patients. A 2013 review of the therapeutic uses of very-low-carbohydrate (ketogenic) diets by The European Journal of Nutrition showed that a ketogenic diet has a more positive effect on blood sugar control than other diets.

The ketogenic diet is suitable for anyone looking to prevent major diseases, and be on top of their weight. Luckily, it happens to be a very filling diet, which allows you to lose weight without keeping track of calories, according to HealthLine. When starting this diet, it’s important to stick to it to avoid bodily shock, as it will work towards changing many aspects of your bodily functions. This is a highly beneficial and rewarding diet for anyone looking to enhance their overall bodily performance and hoping to prevent the health obstacles that could deter a prolonged life.

Please keep in mind that diet alone cannot cure chronic conditions like cancer and diabetes. The data available only suggests that it might help prevent those conditions in some limited, highly-controlled cases. And like with any major lifestyle changes, you should consult your doctor before sticking to a new rigorous diet intended for therapeutic purposes.

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