The Diet That Destroys Cancer:
Despite the massive growth in genetic therapies, pharmaceutical and surgical technologies chronic disease is crippling mankind. We have clearly not addressed the underlying causative factors for many conditions such as cancer. The true solutions for cancer and many other degenerative disease processes lie in the nutritional and metabolic functions of the body.
Sweet foods and starches are not genetically congruent to eat on a regular basis. Our ancestors looked at these as rare delicacies. Most people in our society today are raised on a steady diet of sugars, grains and other starches. Studies have shown that sugar is the fuel source for cancer and creates an environment of chronic inflammation that leads to other degenerative disease processes (1, 2).
Traditional Cultures and Ketone Usage:
Many traditional cultures such as the Eskimos and Maasai tribesman consumed very little carbohydrates and survived from effective ketone formation in the body. Ketones are a form of energy that is produced by the liver through the metabolism of fatty acids. Ketones are able to cross over the blood brain barrier to provide energy for neurons. Ketones are able to support life in the absence of available glucose.
During times of fasting, which were quite common for our ancient hunter-gatherer ancestors, the stores of glucose drop and high levels of ketones are formed (3). Diets that are very low in carbohydrates (50-80 grams daily) and moderate in protein (0.8-1.2g/kg) are able to produce ketones in higher levels.
Research has shown that the body adapts to ketone metabolism and improves the efficiency of this fuel source over time (4). The specific liver hormone, FGF21, which is critical for the oxidation of the liver’s fatty acids, is upregulated in individuals who are on a ketogenic diet over time (5). This allows for a greater use of ketones as an energy source in the body.
Cancer and Glucose Metabolism:
Famous cell biologist and cancer researcher Otto Warburg discovered that cancer cells have an altered metabolism and are unable to produce energy through cellular respiration (6). They drive all of their energy from substrate level phosphorylation through glucose fermentation.
Other researchers such as Dr. Thomas Seyfried have found that cancer cells run off of both glucose and amino acid (glutamine) fermentation (7, 8, 9).
Feeding Cancer or Starving It:
Cancer cells contain ten times the amount of insulin receptors as normal cells. This allows them to gobble up glucose and other nutrients from the blood stream at an accelerated rate. As long as an individual continues to provide this form of fuel the cancer will continue to grow. Those cancer patients who have the highest blood sugar readings after eating have the lowest survival rates.
Cancer cells have damaged mitochondria and are unable to produce energy through aerobic respiration so they are unable to metabolize fatty acids for energy. They depend entirely on glucose or amino acid metabolism. So any method that restricts glucose and amino acids has the ability to starve off cancer cells.
High protein diets will continue to feed the cancer growth as will consistent eating habits. In our culture, most people eat 3-5 times a day when you include traditional meals and snacks. The constant flow of nutrition elevates blood sugar and insulin levels and allows plenty of substrate for the cancer to continue to grow.
Fasting and Cancer Prevention:
Creating a lifestyle around intermittent fasting is particularly effective at creating ketones and starving cancer cells (10). Highly motivated individuals with advanced cancer diagnosis may do a three to seven day cleanse where they consume nothing but water with lemon.
Others may choose to incorporate a regular fasting lifestyle in which they only eat for a 4-8 hour period each day. They may choose to eat only between the hours of 3pm and 7pm and do a 20 hour fast each day. This will force the body to make ketones to fuel the brain and body deep into the fasting period. Individuals with a cancer diagnosis should do the daily 20 hour fast while individuals without a cancer diagnosis can do more of a 16 to 18 hour fast for optimal ketone metabolism.
Cancer Killing Meal Plans:
Meals should be focused on good fats like coconut oil, avocados, olive oil and raw nuts and seeds. Very low carbohydrate vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, asparagus, kale, collard greens, spinach, celery, cucumbers & cabbage among others should be staple parts of the diet. Clean proteins in moderation such as grass-fed beef, grass-fed raw cheese and fermented dairy, organic poultry and wild game are great.
Fresh squeezed lemon/lime, apple cider vinegar and other low-sugar fermented food/drink and fresh or dried herbs should be used in abundance. These help to provide organic acids, enzymes and antioxidants into the body. Organic acids produce an alkaline ash once metabolized. These alkaline elements that neutralize the excess acidity that cancer produces and improve cellular oxygenation which helps destroy cancer.
Optimal Hormone Sensitivity:
This diet allows for optimal insulin and leptin sensitivity which leads the individual to feel satisfied easily. A 150lb man should keep his net carbohydrates around 20-30g/day and his protein under 70 g/day for optimal ketosis. This is fairly easy when only 1-2 meals are eaten consisting of the foods listed above.
According to Dr Thomas Seyfried, optimal blood sugar levels for cancer starvation should be between 60-70 mg/dl and ketone levels should stay around 2-5mM. For most people, however, they will have blood sugar levels a bit higher (70-90 mg/dl) and blood ketone levels around 1-3 mM. This is still very effective.
The ketogenic diet is often deficient in antioxidants so it is important to supplement with a multi-vitamin and probiotics. High quality omega-3 supplementation is also extremely beneficial and synergizes the anti-tumor effects of the ketogenic diet.
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Sources For This Article Include:
1. University of Utah Health Sciences. “Does Sugar Feed Cancer?.” 18 August 2009.
2. University of California – Los Angeles. “Glucose deprivation activates feedback loop that kills cancer cells, study shows.” ScienceDaily, 26 June 2012.
3. Balasse EO, Féry F. Ketone body production and disposal: effects of fasting, diabetes, and exercise. Diabetes Metab Rev. 1989 May;5(3):247-70. PMID: 2656155
4. Westman EC, Feinman RD, Mavropoulos JC, Vernon MC, Volek JS, Wortman JA, Yancy WS, Phinney SD. Low-carbohydrate nutrition and metabolism. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Aug;86(2):276-84. PMID: 17684196
5. Domouzoglou EM, Maratos-Flier E. Fibroblast growth factor 21 is a metabolic regulator that plays a role in the adaptation to ketosis. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2011;93(4):901S-905S.
6. Koppenol W, Bounds P, Dang C. Otto Warburg’s contributions to current concepts of cancer metabolism. Link Here
7. Boston College Thomas Seyfried Link Here
8. Seyfried T, Shelton L. Cancer as a metabolic disease Link Here
9. Science Direct Metabolic Management of Brain Cancer Link Here
10. Klement RJ, Kämmerer U. Is there a role for carbohydrate restriction in the treatment and prevention of cancer? Nutrition & Metabolism. 2011;8:75.
Hi Dr.Jockers,
Everything you have written makes perfect sense. However, in the past when I have lowered my carbohydrate levels I have gotten an itchy rash on my chest that only goes away when I increase my carb levels. It showed up after 9 days of water fasting (both times I have done it), and after one month of low carb eating (keeping around 40 carbs per day).
I believe it is called Prurigo Pigmentosa.
I am guessing that maybe I am sensitive to the amount of ketones being produced, since my body isn’t very efficient at processing them yet (I have had to stop the diet because of the rash).
Or maybe I have a vitamin deficiency? Otherwise I feel great while low carb. My appetite goes down, I start losing fat and gaining muscle mass, and wish I could continue to eat this way.
Any suggestions you have would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Becky
Becky, I would make sure you were doing probiotics and fermented foods to help clear out toxic pathogens in the gut that may be contributing to the rash. Also, using something like Betonite clay or activated charcoal will help pull out toxins that may be contributing. I would also use adaptogenic herbs like Ashwaghanda and Rhodiola to help calm the adrenals. These will all help you respond to the ketogenic diet much more effectively.
Hello, I’m new to this sight but I really need help I have lung cancer and I am trying to do my own alternative way instead of the chemo and radiation, I have tried everything, but it is growing fast and now is 8.5 please if you know anything else I can do please let me know, thsnks melody. melmel61862@gmail.com
I am so sorry to hear about this Melody! I would suggest contacting Haley our functional nutritionist and she can set up a consultation and create a plan for you. Her email is nutrition@drjockers.com
Thank you for the reply. I will look into the herbs you mentioned. I will update you on how it is working out.
Hey Dr. Jockers,
As a diabetic, I have been researching doing a low carb, high fat along with IF. I did this for about 4 days. My blood sugars were high prior to starting this (low 200). Then while following this diet my blood sugars skyrocketed to 300-400’s. Makes no sense to me. Any thoughts on why this might happen?
You most likely have adrenal fatigue so when you fast, it causes a massive release of stress hormones and a major blood sugar surge. I would recommend starting by eating small meals and doing lots of coconut oil/butter – like a tsp or 2 every 2-3 hours and staying in ketosis. I think you will notice dramatically different and more beneficial results.
Thank you so much Doc. I will try this. I’m thinking the small meals should be raw or lightly stir fried veggies with coconut oil. Or would I just want to do the coconut oil?
Yes, either one will work
THANK YOU!!! This really means a lot to me. I will let you know how it goes. You are such a wealth of information. Pam
Dr. Jockers, you’re the MAN!!!! BOOM!
Sorry, makes lots of sense but no proof it works. Where are people who cured using this
method ? (not just 1 person) Many on an americanized macrobiotic diet cured cancer, they have written books on it, many real people. Now maybe there is more than 1 way to skin a cat but sticking with scientific studies is where i’d lean towards.
Do you have any documented protocols that have cured cancer patients afflicted with throat cancer?
No I don’t Brian! Let me know if you hear of any. I have yet to consult with anyone with throat cancer.
Hi Dr. Jockers, here are some possible suggestions for that throat cancer:
1) Sipping a smoothie throughout each day with fresh comfrey leaves plus an adjusted pH. Comfrey has been successfully used for gastric issues over the centuries and has quickly cured both large tumors and ulcers of the stomach.
2) Sipping water with a small amount of allantoin or ascorbic acid throughout each day. Ascorbic acid in often applied to clear skin cancers. And comfrey is usually enriched with allantoin for gastric issues.
Do you believe any of these could be useful as an adjunctive therapy?
These are excellent suggestions Louise!!
Please advise me what’s food to eat I have a cyst on my pancreas and it will also be a it is pre cancerous I will be going back in April which is 6 months to have another CT made to see if it is growing when they did the biopsy it was benign but it can be cancer
So sorry to hear that Linda! Here are some ideas on ketogenic meal planning! https://drjockers.com/meal-planning-ketogenic-diet/
Dr. Jockers,
I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Metastatic Melanoma in the brain, liver, spleen and possibly a lymph node. Have your witnessed or heard of any individuals with this type of cancer who have beat it naturally? I Was diagnosed Nov 2015. I almost had Gamma Knife Surgery on the brain tumors (6+) but by the time of the surgery the larger one (on the cerebellum) had grown too large. As a result the surgery was cancelled. I decided then to go alternative therapies. I did have to have surgery to remove the large one from my cerebellum and recovered without any complications. I am currently going on the Ketogenic Diet, doing the Budwig protocol, monitoring my ph. Am considering the IV Vitamin C, UV Blood Filtering, Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber and other options to kill the cancer. Today I am feeling very well and am very optimistic of winning this battle. God’s creation of our bodies is am amazing thing and if we support it properly it will heal itself of these types of diseases. I will keep you updated on how things go. Also, if you have any advice specific to melanoma that would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Jeff
Praise God for your mindset and all out approach with this Jeff! We are praying for complete healing and restoration for you!
Have you witnessed or know of anyone who was successful in beating Melanoma? Also, what is the best method to test for ketone levels? Blood or urine? And best time?
Thanks,
Jeff
Jeffrey,
Read a book called: –
“Join our escape from death row cancer jail”, an Australian who cured himself of clark5 melanoma.
Regards,
rob.
Hello Jeff, it has been a while since this posting you made. Many are wondering how you’ve done!. We pray you are well.
our 27 yr old child had a germinoma , unoperable, and was deemed dead over 3 years ago by the ‘professionals’. She’s done many of the things you’ve mentioned and the ketogenic diet was manditory while she took 9 months of GcMaff, which is much easier to take now. You can buy it from New Zealand.
We are going to go back to the ‘ketogenic for cancer diet’, to have some good counceling from Dr. Jeff and see if we cannot clear up this unfocused / foggy, poor memory. And of course I will do it also for the same reasons. I’m in my 60’s.
Thank you for this blog Jeff. It would be nice to be able to talk with people that have done well using the diet, while doing more than just that. We have a naturopath that is absolutely incredible , yet diet is a cultural hurdle. BUT he figures eat what you want and the suppliments [ his ARE ammazing] will fix any problems. 😛 pretty silly really but he totally gave us confidence to beat this, being a Christian given a true gift of knowing what each individual body needs.
I still feel diet is HUGE. we also use a Platenum Energy system for the most wonderful way to detox. Seems to be doing the job.!
God direct anyone dealing with their body screaming for help.
Great info!! I have a friend who is recently diagnosed with CA in her colon, lung, brain and spine. She has jumped in with the cyber knife and chemo, but I wish she would try Keto and Dr Budwig’s plan.
Buttt, my question is, which I’m little embarrassed about considering I don’t have cancer, and reading all the above stories, I feel horrible for what these people are going through. Question is: my GYN just told me I have the HPV virus via message. I have read a lot and see it can cause cervical CA. I have started keto to lose weight and have fallen off the wagon, but now I’m thinking it can prevent CA. Am I correct? Can I completely get rid of this virus with this way of eating?
I also have psoriatic arthritis. Can this improve/heal it by diminishing the inflammation??
Sorry to hear about your health issues Kathleen. We never get rid of viruses, however, we can keep them dormant with a healthy lifestyle. I would recommend following my AutoImmune Elimination program here to better support your immune system and reduce inflammation: https://drjockers.com/autoimmune-elimination-program/
Hi I was diagnosed with colon cancer stage 4 in January of 2016. I did Chemotherapy from March till December. And decided to change my diet do herbs and supplements. In October my chemotherapy was changed because it was giving me neuropathy in my fingers and feet. Then the other chemo affect my hair. I just don’t know what to do in December I was told that the cancer start growing again. Any suggestions. Thank you.
I am so sorry to hear about this Bevon! I would recommend following our Cancer Cleanse program and for your troubles, use the coupon code Cleanse50 to save $50 at checkout. https://drjockers.com/cancer-cleanse-program/
We have tried to use this Code Cleanse50 on the sight you gave above, and it does not work. You’d also emailed that we could use Cleanse30 . of course we prefer this offer. 😀 Could you please help us with ordering this program for our daughter’s brain tumour. It sounds like it could be an easy/ well laid out way to follow the ketogenic for cancer.
Thank you so much.
Hey Irene,
I am so sorry to hear about this! Yes this is a great program. The discount code is Cleanse30
Sounds good on paper, still no proof. Many reputable Dr’s, and reputable studies all
point the same way–no processed fats. Visit Dr. Gregers site, read the studies on eggs,
dairy, processed fats, etc. then make decisions. Forget Mercola.
Best to all who are fighting this darn disease.
After Years of leading a healthy life style and diet i was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma . I contacted Dr. LaValley But before he could finish his protocol I elected to do a stem cell transplant , He fills that is the best route for this disease. His protocol is now finished but i do not know the best way to go. Stem Cell Transplant completed about a month now. His protocol is supplement based, Any suggestions ,can a specific diet affect the outcome . Thanks
Hey Ronnie, yes a plant-focused ketogenic diet can be very helpful. That is what our Cancer Cleanse Program is built around: https://drjockers.com/cancer-cleanse-program/
What can be done to target glutamine?
Fasting is a great way to target this Ron!
Dr. Jockers, I hope you are still looking at comments on this post! My sister has cancer, and she is currently taking oxycodone every 4 hours for the pain. She needs to take food with her oxy tablets. This will make intermittent fasting impossible. What do you suggest as a workaround or adaptation?
Sorry to hear this! I would recommend following a plant-based keto diet: https://drjockers.com/plant-based-ketogenic-diet/
Dr. Jocker,
My mother is waiting a breast cancer diagnosis and the doctor seems sure that her lumps are cancerous. As I said we are waiting biopsy results, and are being extremely proactive regarding nutrition and natural approaches. She is wondering what your recommendation is regarding fish/seafood and her homemade grape juice (canned Concord grapes with Saccharin, no other ingredients). Any guidance and info is extremely appreciated! Thank you for sharing your passion and story.
Stephanie
Hello Stephanie, sorry to hear about your mother, yes we do recommend wild-caught fish and seafood. Grape juice is going to be high in sugar so we don’t recommend that. Here is a helpful article for you: https://drjockers.com/breast-cancer/
Bonjour docteur, ma fille âgé de 17 ans est atteinte d’un meduloblastome élevé qui a été diagnostiquer il a 1 ans, elle a subi comme traitement, de la prothontherapie suivie de différents protocoles de chimiothérapie par voie intraveineuse et orale, malheureusement tous ces traitements n’ont eu sur sa pathologie aucun effet, son cancer est malheureusement passé dans le système nerveux et osseux.
Nous sommes aujourd’hui à plus d une année de traitement sans succès.
Il y a encore d autres traitements d après l oncologe mais encore une fois sans garantie, avec une possibilité d un essai thérapeutique éventuellement.
Voilà pourquoi je me tourne vers vous afin de connaître votre avis,sur un alternatif regime sur la situation de la pathologie de ma fille.
Merci à vous pour tous les travaux que vous effectuer pour venir en aide aux personnes dans le besoin d une solution moins corrosive
Cordialement