The science of ketogenic diets and cancer – Steven Rindner Bio

Over the past few years, ketogenic diets have taken the world by storm. One of the reasons fitness buffs love the form of diet is that it helps beat health issues such as obesity and some diseases through proper nutrition using select food groups. Cancer, one of the most challenging illnesses to overcome, can be beaten through ketogenic diets, according to some studies. In this blog post, Steven Rindner, a bio student from New York, shares the science behind ketogenic diets and their role in beating cancer.

For starters, using ketogenic diets alone to beat different forms of cancer might be futile. It’s important to note that the diet is most effective when it supplements modern medical treatments such as radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery.

The science behind ketogenic diets and their role in fighting cancer relies on the fact that such diet alters the cancer cell metabolism. Cancer cells need glucose for their rapid growth. By starving the cancer cells of glucose, they stop growing. They then eventually die. This diet makes standard treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation more successful. According to a study by Dr. Adrienne C. Scheck, Ph.D., a ketogenic diet improves a cancer patient’s survival and reduces the side effects of glioblastoma multiforme or GBM. An incredibly deadly form of cancer, GBM provides a poor prognosis for patients, having an average survival time of 18 months from the time of diagnosis.

Dr. Scheck bases her stand on her team’s pre-clinical research, which found that ketogenic diets that supplement radiation and chemotherapy enhance the body’s anti-tumor immune response. There’s nothing to lose in trying, shares Dr. Scheck. However, the potential is different from the significant survival benefit. For NY-based bio student Steven Rindner, it’s always best for patients to go through the standard treatment, with diets and other treatments approved by their doctors, to receive the most favorable results.