The #1 Best Eating Habit for Pancreatic Cancer, Says New Study

We are living through a time where fad diets are a common part of health cultures; it seems as if there's a new one trending every day! There are diets to tell us what will help you shed those pounds, which ones will help with certain ailments like memory loss, the list goes on. And now thanks to a new study, it has been discovered that there are even diets to help fight certain types of cancers, including pancreatic cancer.

A recent study from The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) suggests that the ketogenic diet (also known as keto) may help eliminate pancreatic cancer cells by promoting positive chemotherapy results.

The laboratory experiments showed that the keto diet decreased glucose (sugar) levels in the tumor, which suggests the diet helped starve the cancer. The diet also elevated ketone bodies produced by the liver (small water molecules used as an energy source when glucose is not readily available), which put additional stress on the cancer cells.

According to the study, the keto diet created a microenvironment in which a triple-drug therapy designed by TGen—a combination of gemcitabine, nab-paclitaxel, and cisplatin—was more effective at knocking out the tumor, therefore destabilizing the cancer cells.

"By limiting glucose availability, the ketogenic diet may promote chemotherapy efficacy," said TGen Professor Daniel D. Von Hoff, M.D. in the recent study overview.

In addition, the keto diet was shown to have a beneficial impact on antitumor immunity by inducing pro-inflammatory tumor gene expression, which further weakened the cancer.

If you're not familiar, the keto diet consists of foods low in carbohydrates and high in protein and fat. The diet forces your body to burn fats rather than carbohydrates, overall having you lose weight quickly. However, due to the excessive amount of protein and less intake of carbohydrates, the keto diet could cause problems such as low blood pressure, kidney stones, constipation, nutrient deficiencies, and an increased risk of heart disease.

If you're thinking of starting keto, be sure to take note of these 7 Warning Signs You Should Stop the Keto Diet Immediately.