Healthy cells can adapt to reduced glucose availability by using ketone bodies and fatty acids as alternative energy sources. In contrast, many cancer cells appear to have a diminished ability to utilize ketones efficiently, potentially due to impaired oxidative phosphorylation associated with mitochondrial dysfunction. Preclinical research and early-stage clinical studies suggest that ketogenic metabolic therapies may help slow tumor progression and improve the effectiveness of certain cytotoxic treatments. Similarly, fasting and fasting-mimicking diets may produce related metabolic effects. Short-term fasting has been associated with reductions in blood glucose and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), both of which can support cancer cell growth. These metabolic strategies may place cancer cells under increased stress and promote processes such as autophagy, potentially increasing their sensitivity to cytotoxic therapies.

In line with the belief in the importance of cancer’s metabolic dimension, a special oncological diet is important for every patient’s treatment plan to support other therapies by targeting this vulnerability.

A diet that is very low in carbohydrate but contains fiber, cruciferous vegetables, protein (animal and plant-based) and is high in fat with the aim of lowering plasma glucose, the main energy source for cancer cells.

It is similar to a “Ketogenic Diet” and is specifically modified for oncological conditions based upon each individual patient’s situation.