Research has demonstrated that ketogenic diets can slow tumor growth in mice with pancreatic and colorectal cancer by inducing ferroptosis, a process that leads to the accumulation of toxic lipids in cancer cells. While ketogenic diets, which are high in fat and low in carbohydrates, can help reduce body weight (by up to 10%), they may also cause severe weight loss and appetite loss due to cachexia—a common and fatal condition linked to cancer. Cachexia manifests through significant muscle and fat loss, fatigue, and immune decline, leading to approximately 2 million deaths annually. However, researchers from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have found that combining ketogenic diets with corticosteroids can mitigate the onset of cachexia in cancer-afflicted mice. By replenishing corticosterone, a hormone that regulates metabolic changes, the mice experienced tumor size reduction without the detrimental side effects of cachexia, leading to prolonged survival. This approach aims to leverage the tumor-fighting properties of the ketogenic diet while avoiding its harmful impacts, thereby enhancing treatment outcomes and patient quality of life. The researchers continue to refine strategies involving corticosteroids to optimize this combined therapeutic approach in future cancer treatments.
