Ketogenic Diets , a new Panacea for all illnesses?`

March 25, 2022

Ketogenic Diets , is this the new Panacea for all illnesses?`

For many of us, the word “cure” means a pill. Panacea- means “cure for all” Pills yes, but food, no. Food hardly ever comes to mind as a possible treatment for disease. I find it fascinating that most people look up to a treatment that is the size of a tiny pill and believe that it will be a cure, while ignoring the dangers of eating large quantities of carbohydrate and sugar rich food. Could it be that many believe, that edible food, as long as it doesn’t taste bad or make us pass out, is harmless? Or that food in general cannot be used as a treatment for disease? Fast forward to 2018…Thanks to the rise of the internet, we now have unlimited access to the information superhighway from the comforts of our home. I myself never heard the word “ketogenic” until the year 2012. This was a queer word that I found while stumbling across some clinical trials posted on the web, and now it is part of my daily vocabulary.

 

WHAT DOES "KETOGENIC" MEAN?

For the benefit of our novice readers, what is the meaning of “Ketogenic”?

“Keto” is a shortcut word for “Ketone”. Ketones are energy rich substances our bodies produce during times of fasting or starvation. When food is scarce, the body senses the need to continue providing energy, especially to the brain. Therefore the liver begins to make an alternate form of power and these are what we call ketones. “Genic” is derived from the word “generate” or to “produce / beget”. Instead of fasting, a ketogenic (Freeman, Kossoff, and Hartman 2007) diet is another way for our bodies to produce ketones, because when there are low amounts of carbohydrates and glucose, the body also senses this and our livers go into ketone production mode.

The ketogenic diet is a strict, high fat, low carbohydrate diet, Protein is ideally also very low.   

To many, it appears that the “ketogenic diet” may yet be another hot new food fad…But it isn't. Back in 1923, it was already being used. I am not sure why the alcohol proportion was deleted though. 

DIABETES

It may come as a surprise but did you know that as early as the early twentieth century, doctors were already recommending carbohydrate restriction for diabetic patients? This was way before the invention of medications for diabetes. In fact, a textbook of internal medicine authored by Osler in 1923, prescribed that diabetics consume diets wherein carbohydrates comprised no more than 2% of the total daily allowance. Compare that to the 5% carbohydrate limit which modern ketogenic diets allow! The rest of the diet was made up of 75% fat, 6% alcohol, and 17% protein. Insulin and oral antidiabetic medicines were eventually discovered, and doctors slowly relaxed these dietary restrictions, reasoning that medications alone can successfully do a good job of controlling glucose levels. By the 1960s to 80s, the diet was practically unheard of in medical circles.

Modern day doctors recommend that diabetic patients take hypoglycemic drugs. Hypo- (lower) and glyc (glucose) -emic (being in blood) - means to lower blood glucose levels. The catch here is that when a patient uses these drugs, they have to be careful not to upset the balance of blood glucose versus drug dosing. There is always a risk of developing dangerously low glucose levels or “hypoglycemia” which can make one very ill, or even result in death. To avoid this, one must consume very high amounts of carbohydrates. And so a self perpetuating cycle continues. When one eats carbohydrates, the blood glucose rises higher, and medications are again dosed higher, as needed to help bring it down. Diabetes is already a state of high blood glucose. Why aggravate this by eating more carbohydrates? If diabetics on insulin go on low carbohydrate diets, they must be careful because they might experience dangerously low glucose levels. If this diet is attempted seriously, one might have to reduce their insulin by 50% on the day of the diet, to prevent critically low blood glucose levels (hypoglycemia). Close medical supervision is required because this can get very tricky.

 

EPILEPSY or SEIZURE DISORDERS

The same is true for the treatment of seizures, also known as epilepsy. Around the same time frame (1920s), the ketogenic diet was also used as the primary treatment for seizures. Later, as anti epileptic drugs were discovered, the diet slowly fell out of favor. The modern convenience of “a pill a day” took over and the diet was only rarely mentioned. It was only in the 1990s when the Charlie Foundation raised awareness over the benefits of the ketogenic diet, that we once again recognized this effective treatment for seizures that no longer responded to medications. It is presently being used again by some neurologists. The success rate is around 40%.

MOOD DISORDERS, AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS

Since the ketogenic diet is very effective for seizures, why not other neurologic and psychiatric disorders? Scientists hypothesize that ketones can protect nerve tissue by protecting them from reactive oxygen species damage. Ketones can also raise the ATP ( a form of cellular energy) levels and by doing so , also protect from oxidative damage. Inflammation can be reduced and nerve cell death slowed down. Human studies are also desperately needed in this field.

 

CANCER

The big C. It spares no one. The excitement over using this diet in cancer is understandable. Even with the discovery of multiple genetic mutations in different cancers, we see very little progress in terms of a "complete" cure. With the new FDA approved targeted chemotherapies, much hype and hope is generated. When offered to patients with advanced cancers, one can reasonably hope for tumor control, but in reality a complete cure still remains possible but for most patients is very unlikely. A more reasonable expectation would be to hope for some prolonged tumor control. Still there, not gone, but stable. Why? Because despite a drug being precisely engineered to attack a tumor signal, there are usually many other competing tumor signals that feed the tumor.

With time the cancer gets wise, and finds a way to get its nutrition from other sources. Sometimes these tumor signals are multiple, and unless your drug targets more than one signal, the tumor will take advatage of signals that crosstalk. By using this defense mechanism, tumors may escape the damaging actions of the drug. To be successful, a drug must be able to target ALL, if not most of the tumor growth signals and mechanisms. For chemotherapy to cure, one must kill ALL traces of cancer. This is why many cancers are still not curable. Also this is why cancer has a tendency to come back and with revenge. A ketogenic diet theoretically can control cancer growth because it has the capacity to attack not just one, but several tumor signaling pathways, and all at the same time.

The early studies of this diet were focused mainly on brain cancer. It is only now that some scientists are taking notice and trials for other tumors are being created. 

Unfortunately, there are still no solid randomized trial data on the use of this diet in cancer. Most of the existing HUMAN data center around case reports, case series, safety trials and anecdotal data. 

ALZHEIMERS and PARKINSONS DISEASE

Only 10% of Alzheimers disease is inherited. 90% are because of other causes, one of which is the process of "aging".

Type II Diabetes , radiation exposure, are all possible causes.

Mouse studies show improved memory and brain functioning when the lab animals were subjected to calorie restriction or intermittent fasting from food. Examination of the mice brains also show improvement in the amyloid deposits that are commonly seen in brains of people with Alzheimers.

As we age, the brain becomes less able to use glucose. The neurotransmitters become less active and we begin to see slowing down of brain processing speed as well as a decline in memory. Chronic diseases like Alzheimers and Parkinsonism begin to emerge.

 

Scientists suggest that ketone supplementation can replace some of this energy loss, and improve memory and possibly delay aging.

CHRONIC PAIN

TYING TOGETHER THE CAUSES

Inflammation

Emerging evidence points to inflammation as a possible cause of neurodegenerative disease , autoimmune disease, heart disease, and even cancer. Inflammation is a basic protective mechanism within our bodies. When an infection attacks, the body reacts by producing heat, and sometimes swelling. A fever may be a sign that the body is trying to protect itself from the invading bacteria. When inflammation happens over and over again, it becomes a chronic source of irritation.

A good example of inflammation causing disease is that of liver cancer or hepatocellular carcinoma. The process of liver cancer development is well linked to chronic infection.
Many liver cancer patients have a history of hepatitis. Hepatitis B or C is a viral infection that attacks the liver. During a chronic hepatitis infection, the body goes into repetitive cycles of cell death and rebirth. Cells die as a results of the virus insult, but are so active that they can repair themselves in no time. However as time goes on, one day, the body will have had enough of this repetitive insult and even though the regeneration keeps on going, eventually the cell loses the ability to die (apoptosis). This is the point whereby a liver tumor is born. Due to the loss of death, the cell becomes immortal.

Autoimmune disorders also rely on inflammation as a possible disease trigger.
A ketogenic diet can potentially be of help via decreasing the body’s proinflammatory signaling pathways.

 

Autophagy

Auto what??? In addition to inflammation, there is also this process called Autophagy.
Autophagy – Auto (means --> self) + Phagy(means --->eating)- is a means by which the body “eats parts” of itself, mainly the defective parts, in an effort to “renew’ itself. This cannibalistic modes kicks in when one exercises or fasts. The body goes into “autophagy” mode. It is by this process that the body renews itself. The body also uses this process to get rid of defective cells that might turn into cancer. 

Scientists think that autophagy or self renewal is a powerful tool to fight cancer.
In addition, control of inflammation can also help control tumor growth.
What is more interesting is the theory that a ketogenic diet can help not only slow down tumor signaling but also curb inflammation and increase autophagy.


KETOGENIC DIETS EFFECT on WEIGHT LOSS IN CANCER

What about cancer patients who are already losing weight? Is it safe?
The patients who were enrolled in our trial all lost some weight, some lost as little as 5 lbs while others lost almost 20% of their baseline body weight. None had any deleterious effects resulting from the weight loss. In fact the patients who lost the greatest percentage of their body weights actually did better in terms of quality of life and survival . In the laboratory, scientists studied pancreatic cancers cells that were planted onto lab mice and found that when these mice were fed ketones, their body weight improved and their muscles were preserved. Tumor growth was also delayed by the ketogenic diet.

https://www.ketooncologist.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=1871&action=edit

Is this the modern day “snake oil?


This diet is getting more and more interesting.


In my humble opinion, ketogenic diet alone is not going to cure cancer. But it does have several properties that may help make existing cancer therapies work better. Whether it can help improve cancer care in humans, remains to be seen. But at least we know that it works well ...at least in mice....

Exploring the Link Between Cancer and Weight Loss:

March 14, 2024
Breaking Down the Fear  Ketogenic diets often result in weight loss. Cancer patients frequently lose weight. Does this mean that keto diets are harmful to use in cancer patients? Cancer and weight loss are two topics that often come hand in hand, yet the relationship between them can be complex and sometimes frightening. Weight loss, particularly unexplained or rapid, can evoke fear in many individuals, often signaling underlying severe health concerns. However, when it comes to cancer, weight loss can sometimes be one of the earliest signs of the disease. In today's blog, we delve into the connection between cancer and weight loss, unraveling why the latter often instills fear and how understanding this relationship can lead to better health outcomes. Understanding Cancer and Weight Loss: Cancer involves uncontrolled cell growth and abnormal spread of cells throughout the body. These invading cells affect various organs and systems and disrupt their normal function. Weight loss can be very subtle or profound depending on the type of organ invaded. As cancer takes root and establishes itself, it also spews out cytokines (unique inflammatory proteins) that also serve as signal messengers, signaling muscles to lose volume, resulting in a weight loss phenomenon known as cachexia. Cachexia is a complex syndrome. Inflammation is often at the root of this problem, of profound muscle wasting, generalized fatigue, and poor appetite, Why Are We Afraid of Weight Loss? Weight loss, in general, is often perceived negatively in society. There's a prevailing notion that thinness equates to health, beauty, and success, while weight loss may imply illness or a lack of control. However, when weight loss occurs without intentional dieting or exercise, it can be a red flag for underlying health issues, including cancer. In cancer, especially, the presence of weight loss is disturbing because we traditionally associate it with illness. Association with Illness: Unexplained weight loss is commonly associated with illness, particularly severe conditions like cancer. The fear of the unknown and the potential implications of such weight loss can be daunting for individuals. To be of "normal" weight is equated with health. Loss of Control: Weight loss, especially rapid or involuntary, can make individuals feel like they've lost control over their bodies. This loss of power can be unsettling and exacerbate feelings of anxiety or fear. Uncertainty: Weight loss without a clear cause can be perplexing and raise questions about what might happen within the body. The uncertainty surrounding the underlying cause can contribute to fear and anxiety. During chemotherapy, however, weight loss is inevitable because we are in a catabolic state. The active cancer is making us lose weight. The key is to control or snuff out the underlying cancer. Once you weaken the tumor, less cytokine release and less inflammation will follow. As this occurs, the "source" of the cytokine release will die, and weight gain should naturally recover. Therefore, loading up on carbohydrates to make us appear to be of "normal weight" is incorrect. Loading up on sugary treats will only strengthen the cancer and will only be counterproductive! Conclusion: The fear of weight loss, particularly in the context of cancer, is understandable, given the potential implications for health and well-being. However, by understanding the complex relationship between cancer and weight loss and challenging societal stigmas, we can accept some form of healthy weight loss during chemotherapy. We can learn to recognize unhealthy weight loss (loss of muscle mass) and differentiate it from healthy weight loss during a ketogenic diet (most of which is weight loss from fat and excess water). As long as one feels energetic, with normal blood parameters and no indication of significant liver or kidney failure, anemia, or marrow failure, then some healthy weight loss during chemotherapy or implementation of a ketogenic diet CAN be acceptable.

GINGER ALE DURING CHEMOTHERAPY

March 4, 2024
Are you still drinking "ginger ale" during your chemotherapy sessions? You know, those gleaming, chilled cans of sparkly soda that your cheerful chemotherapy nurse hands out along with your anti nausea pills?  The scent and the taste of ginger help nausea stay away. But did you know that your "ginger ale" contains no ginger? Worse, the HFCS high fructose corn syrup, a highly processed sugar, can do you more harm than good. And making your cancer cells really happy. Next time you go for your chemo session, ask for water instead. Or better yet, bring your own ginger-infused drink from home. Here is some background about ginger. For centuries, ginger has been used as a remedy for nausea and digestive issues, and some scientific evidence supports its effectiveness. Here are some examples. Morning Sickness: Pregnant women often experience morning sickness, and ginger has been traditionally used to alleviate these symptoms. Several studies have shown that ginger can reduce nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. For example, a meta-analysis published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research in 2014 concluded that ginger supplementation significantly reduced the severity of nausea and vomiting in pregnant women without any significant side effects. Motion Sickness: Ginger is effective in reducing motion sickness. A study published in Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine 1986 found that ginger was more effective than a placebo in reducing symptoms of motion sickness. Subsequent studies have supported these findings, suggesting ginger can alleviate symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and cold sweating associated with motion sickness. Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea: Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy experience nausea and vomiting. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 2009 published a review that analyzed several randomized controlled trials and found that ginger supplementation could reduce the severity of chemotherapy-induced nausea. Postoperative Nausea: Nausea and vomiting are common after surgery. A meta-analysis published in the journal Integrative Cancer Therapies in 2012 found that ginger effectively reduced postoperative nausea and vomiting compared to a placebo. However, we need more research to fully understand its mechanisms and best dosage. Everyone responds differently, but ginger, in its natural form, is usually safe to take during chemotherapy. Just make sure its the real thing! Photo credit Dan Sorum @ unsplash

Welcome to all our new members

January 30, 2023
Welcome to all our new members

Getting Started On A Keto Diet

May 17, 2022
Getting started on the keto diet usually sounds like someone is trying to lose weight? When you add cancer to that recipe, it becomes a whole new ball game. Do any of these thoughts sound familiar? “ I want to fight my cancer , and I heard that this diet can help me heal “ “ I’m confused because the keto diet will make me lose weight” “I’m afraid to lose more weight.” “I can’t afford to lose weight! “ “When is weight loss just right, and when is it too much? “ Is there real hope for me? Over the past two decades, I’ve seen my share of cancer patients. Yup, the whole package - diagnosis, anxiety, chemo, radiation, hair loss, weight loss, and, failures. But, I also saw many patients who achieve clean CT scans, remission, happy news, hair growth, and of course, the coveted weight gain. I have my own collection of patients with stage four cancers, a few have actually reached their ten to twelve year anniversary with me. Most of them have made it past five years and some are in complete remission. Yes, stage four to stage zero! How did they do it? You may have come to this website, searching for answers. I wish that I could tell you all that I know, in one sentence, but I can’t. It usually takes me several office visits to educate my patients. For now, you can stick around, and try to absorb the knowledge from current posts. Take time to read through my past blogs. Signup for a keto conference. There is one coming up very soon. The MHS 2022 in Santa Barbara California. May 5 to 8. Read books, and more books. You might be surprised. Not all books are the same. Some are full of dense material, while some are mostly fluff. But eventually, you will find the right book for you. Join me in one of my subgroups. But you need to fit the profile and be past the beginners stage when you join. Or you might get bored! I do show up there from time to time, to break the ice. And by the way, when you are stuck and can’t find the answers you are looking for...you need to make your voice heard and post your questions. What if my cancer doctor doesn’t approve? If your cancer doctor doesn’t know much about the keto lifestyle, or about metabolic approaches to cancer, don’t lose hope. Try to educate them, Share your knowledge. Even if they are at first resistant, with time, some will marvel at your progress and will notice that you are doing better than their average patients. Finally... the number one question that shows up on my blog.... What diet is best for me? I’m so CONFUSED! “ Dr. XXX on YouTube said that a keto diet and weight loss is good for cancer, but another doctor YYY said the opposite, that I should eat, healthy carbs, more plants, fruit , avoid fat and protein, try to gain weight. “ Dr. WWW advocates a vegan diet, but Dr ZZZ said do a carnivore diet.... , help!!!! Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

New drug for relapsed Glioblastoma, a deadly form of brain cancer

March 30, 2022
There is exciting news on the horizon for glioblastoma, which is a deadly form of brain cancer. Have you heard of activated T cell therapy? It is similar to the car-T cell therapies that you often hear about for blood cancers. Well, this form of therapy is now available for patients with brain cancers. The catch is, you must enroll in a clinical trial. It is not yet available to the public. To qualify, one must have glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer , and cancer must have relapsed after the first diagnosis. Patients who are interested are now able to ask for information about enrolment at the Cedars Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles. This trial will be classified under a Phase one type of clinical trial. The drug company, Kairos pharma is the sponsor. This exciting new therapy, otherwise known as KROS 201, is a form of activated T cell therapy. The patient’s white blood cells are first harvested. Blood is removed by a simple intravenous blood draw, and then sent off to the lab to be processed in a cell culture. In the lab, the white blood cells are primed by exposing them to small protein substances called cytokines. This process will in turn activate the white blood cells, specifically the killer T cells. Once activated, these cells can now fight cancer by inactivating cancer stem cells. The T cells are returned to the patient’s body by intravenous infusion. The link for enrolment is not yet available but do keep checking on www.clinicaltrials.gov

Mistletoe plus chemotherapy in non small cell lung cancer

March 25, 2022
Iscador, a type of mistletoe preparation was tested by a medical team in Israel alongside conventional chemotherapy in the treatment of patients with advanced non small cell lung cancer. Although no improvement in survival or quality of life was noted,non hematological side effects from the chemotherapy and hospitalizations were less in the group which received the mistle toe preparation. Possible yet unproven mechanisms of action include improvement of immune function via increasing the number of NK natural killer cells as well as improve the function of Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha. Fever which is also a noted side effect of this preparation has been described prior to spontaneous regression of certain cancers such as melanoma implying a possible role of immunotherapy in the fight against cancer. No randomized trials on cancer patients have yet been published. 

Brain cancer – Challenges with the ketogenic diet

March 25, 2022
We made little progress in the way of survival in the treatment of malignant brain tumors, specifically the deadly glioblastoma multiform. Despite aggressive surgery followed by radiation therapy and precautionary chemotherapy, they relapse early and survival is measured in months. Patients rarely survive beyond a year. Alternative therapies abound with few successes. Some patients attempt to enroll in clinical trials in search of new drugs that might make a difference in their survival.  There is a biologic treatment available. It is the monoclonal antibody called Bevacizumab. It supposedly controls the growth of blood vessels that supply nutrition to the brain tumor. Shrinking the blood supply supposedly starves the tumor. Very exciting, but nonetheless isn't a cure. Long term survivors still remain a rarity. There is mounting interest in metabolic basis of cancer development. In this respect, I do feel that ketogenic diets have potential benefit in brain cancer patients. The role of sugar and carbohydrates in the progression of brain tumors is interesting. Since most patients also are on steroids to improve brain swelling. It is also bad for them because this also increases their blood glucose. I wonder, if we are indeed adding fuel to the fire. A few case reports of brain tumor patients who were offered the ketogenic diet showed that some tumors stopped growing while others improved their survival. Notably, upon discontinuation of the diet, the tumor was noted to again progress, only to regain control upon reinitiation. Currently there are 4 clinical trials ongoing in the United States involving the ketogenic diet in the treatment of various forms of cancer. Another is ongoing in Germany. More clinical trial participation is desperately needed if we are going to move ahead and forge any progress with this deadly cancer. =

Lonsurf, newly approved colon cancer drug

March 25, 2022
Three weeks ago I got word that another new chemotherapy drug has been approved for the treatment of colorectal cancer. Ideal candidates for this drug are patients who failed previous chemotherapy involving one of the following drugs: 5-Fluorouracil, Oxaliplatin, Irinotecan, Cetuximab (also known as Erbitux) and Avastin ( also known as Bevacizumab).This new drug has two active components, trifluridine and tipiracil. Trifluridine is a new nucleoside analog. In other words, a nucleoside is a nitrogen containing biologic compound linked to a sugar, which when phosphorylated, turns into a nucleotide, which is a vital part of the DNA backbone. Trifluridine therefore is a nucleoside analog, meaning it isn't but acts like a nucleoside. It incorporates itself into the DNA structure and interferes with cell growth and proliferation. Tipiracil inhibits the enzyme thymidine phosphorylase, which catalyzes the degradation of Trifluridine, thus allowing it to last longer. Thymidine phosphorylase by itself has pro-angiogenic properties, meaning it promotes blood vessel formation and encourages better blood supply of tumors, so Tipiracil directly stops this advantage. Furthermore, Tipiracil by stopping thymidine phosphorylase, prevents the formation of thymine and 2-deoxy-alpha-D-ribose 1-phosphate. 2DARP is a strong reducing sugar product of thymidine catabolism and causes increased oxidative stress within tumors, promotes release of more tumor blood vessel promoting factors ( angiogenic growth factors) such as interleukin-8, vascular endothelial growth factors VEGF, and matrix metalloproteinase-1 an enzyme which breaks down collagen and extracelular matrix, which is key in promoting tumor metastases. This three mode action of tipiracil ( inhibits thymine production, thymidine phosphorylase VEGF activity, stops ROS and MMP-1 , VEGF and cytokine production)- makes it more attractive since it can potentiate the action of the common colorectal chemotherapy drug 5- fluorouracil whose main action is to inhibit formation of thymine. The RECOURSE trial, a —international, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study conducted in patients with previously treated metastatic colorectal cancer apparently resulted in statistically significant improvement in overall survival and progression free survival . The drug is given orally, twice a day, for two straight weeks, minus weekends, followed by a two week break. Side effects are listed as anemia, neutropenia, asthenia/fatigue, nausea, —thrombocytopenia, decreased appetite, diarrhea,vomiting, abdominal pain,—pyrexia. Since it is barely a month since FDA approval ( Sept. 24, 2015) it still has not hit our pharmacy shelves. I am however eager to try this. Will update you again in a few months. 

Getting into ketosis

March 25, 2022
How long does it take to get into a state of clinical ketosis? By ketosis, I mean the levels of beta-hydroxybutyric acid reaching to above normal levels yet not high enough to bring you into a medical emergency such as ketoacidosis. As little as a day is all it takes. You an achieve this in different ways. The most common and sure fire method is to simply stop eating. If you fast and only limit your intake to water or sugarless herbal , which technically has ZERO calories, you will achieve a state of ketosis in no time. Another way is to try fasting for 15 hours a day, or roughly, just eat one full meal daily. this should bring you into ketosis too, though not all 24 hours are involved. If you try a ketogenic diet, that means, you will be limiting your carbohydrate intake to approximately 20% of your total daily intake, and take the rest in the form of fats ( 70-75%) and proteins (5 to 10%).  Monitoring your progress will be helpful. A simple glucometer will suffice. Individual serum Ketone sticks, readily available from Amazon.com or special order through your pharmacy can be used to check your ketone levels throughout the week.

Update on clinical trials of the ketogenic diet in cancer

March 25, 2022
Several clinical trials are ongoing throughout the United States at the moment.  The University of Iowa Department of Radiation Oncology is running a couple of Phase I trials on the use of the ketogenic diet plus radiation and chemotherapy in head and neck cancers, and they also have another which studies the ketogenic diet plus chemoradiation in non-small cell lung cancers and pancreatic cancer. Michigan State University has one which recruited brain cancers, also known as glioblastomas, a very deadly type of brain cancer. Duke University recently began a randomized trial studying the ketogenic diet plus androgen deprivation therapy in prostate cancer , using the ketogenic diet versus a control standard diet. Unfortunately per recent info posted on the clinicaltrials.gov website, the trial was terminated as of December 2015, due to lack of funding, and due to the principal investigator leaving . Closer to home, the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Pittsburgh has their own trial which recently concluded in 2015. This trial recruited patients with advanced solid tumors across broad tumor types and patients dieted up to 16 weeks or until tolerated. The results have not yet been publicly released as it is currently under manuscript review.
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