RFK JR: “I try about everything. I tried peptides, I've tried stem cells, all kinds of supplements … The one thing that really was transformative for me was the carnivore diet. It changed everything overnight.”
NEW STUDY: Diet in One of the Deadliest Cancers.
I have studied ketogenic diet in cancer, and in particular glioblastoma (GBM) going back to 2014. GBM is arguably one, if not the most, deadly cancer we know of.
It has a 3-year survival ~10% with a median survival of 12-18months with standard of care treatments.
When we were studying these diets in GBM, the mechanistic rationale, growing preclinical evidence...but we had very little human evidence (only case reports).
Awe-inspiring to see this work by @drmclphillips: https://t.co/6YO446qF2x.
RESULTS:
1) 3-Year Survival:
-Standard of Care: 7%
-Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy: 27% 🤯
2) Median overall survival:
-Standard of Care: 14.7 months
-Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy: 21.5 months 🎉
....that is absolutely incredible!!!!!!
3) 83% sustained the metabolic therapy, targeting a specific glucose:ketone index (called GKI). ✅
4) Side effects of the intervention were mild to moderate, showing it is well tolerated.🤏
5) Exercise and quality of life improved....💪
LIMITATIONS: 🤔
1) Not a randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled trial.
2) Intervention was not just ketogenic diet, but also intermittent fasting and exercise (comprehensive metabolic intervention) alongside chemoradiation therapy. A complete lifestyle therapy.
3) 32 participants is actually a huge number for a trial like this...but not HUGE in the grand scheme of pharmacological clinical trials.
TAKE HOME MESSAGE:
1) Diet is not a replacement for cancer treatment. 🍽️vs💊
2) But metabolism is becoming a critical part of cancer treatment, as multiple lines of evidence have shown across other cancer environments in humans (e.g., ketogenic diet in GBM; fasting in breast cancer; etc.)