Research
Hormonal
Ketogenic diets show promise as an adjunctive therapy for cancer, potentially reducing tumor progression through glucose 'starvation' and reduced insulin/IGF-1 signaling, though evidence is currently preliminary.
For cancer patients, a VLCKD may be a promising adjunctive therapy by reducing glucose and insulin levels, potentially slowing tumor growth, but it should only be considered under medical supervision as evidence is still preliminary.
ModerateConditionalLOW confidence
In summary, perhaps through glucose ‘starvation’ of tumour cells and by reducing the effect of direct insulin-related actions on cell growth, ketogenic diets show promise as an aid in at least some kind of cancer therapy and is deserving of further and deeper investigation—certainly the evidence justifies setting up clinical trials.
Why this rating
Evidence is from animal studies and anecdotal human reports; no randomized controlled trials yet.
Source
Beyond weight loss: a review of the therapeutic uses of very-low-carbohydrate (ketogenic) diets
Antonio Paoli et al. · European Journal of Clinical Nutrition · 2013
DOI 10.1038/ejcn.2013.116
narrative_reviewCited 894×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Very-low-carbohydrate ketogenic diets improve glycemic control, insulin sensitivity, and lipid markers in Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) patients, often allowing for the withdrawal of insulin and other medications.Strong
- Ketogenic diets are an effective treatment for severe childhood epilepsy, reducing seizure frequency by 30-40%, comparable to modern antiepileptic drugs, and allowing for reduced drug use.Strong
- Very-low-carbohydrate ketogenic diets (VLCKD) significantly improve cardiovascular risk factors, specifically by lowering triglycerides, lowering LDL cholesterol, and raising HDL cholesterol.Good
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