Hormonal
Insulin-lowering dietary strategies (calorie restriction, ketogenic/low-carbohydrate diets, and intermittent fasting) reduce systemic insulin and IGF-1 levels, which attenuates insulin-related growth signaling and reduces metastatic disease burden in preclinical animal models.
For metastatic cancer patients, insulin-lowering diets (like low-carb or intermittent fasting) are safe and feasible adjuncts to standard care. They improve metabolic markers (insulin, glucose) and may help control disease, but they are not yet proven to extend survival. Consult your oncology team to implement these strategies safely, ensuring they do not exacerbate weight loss or cachexia.
Insulin-lowering diets target these metabolic adaptations. There are three key pathways through which insulin-lowering diets can reduce tumor volume and metastasis formation: (1) by directly reducing systemic stores of nutrients that are utilized by cancer cells, (2) by altering insulin-related signaling factors which stimulate tumor growth, and (3) by improving obesity-related metabolic parameters such as adiposity, dyslipidemia, and systemic inflammation.
Why this rating
Strong preclinical evidence (14 studies) but limited, small-scale clinical evidence (9 studies) with no conclusive survival data.
Source
Insulin-Lowering Diets in Metastatic Cancer
Sherry Shen et al. · Nutrients · 2022
DOI 10.3390/nu14173542
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