Possible Nutrition-related Mechanisms of Metabolic Management in Cancer Treatment

Somatic mutation theory has been considered as a potential cause for cancer. However, major inconsistencies with the gene theory have necessitated serious reconsideration of this assumption. According to these inconsistencies, cancer may be considered as a metabolic disorder. According to the mitochondrial metabolic theory, substrate-level phosphorylation has been suggested to be superior to oxidative phosphorylation in cancer cells. Cancer metabolic therapies such as ketogenic diets (KD) and limitation in glutamine and calorie can be beneficial and are in line with this theory. In this study, we have reviewed the potential effects of KD as well as glutamine and calorie restriction in various types/stages of cancer with a focus on possible mechanisms.

A comprehensive electronic search of different databases was performed using “cancer”, “ketogenic diet”, and “metabolic” as the main keywords. A comprehensive electronic search of different databases was performed using “cancer”, “ketogenic diet”, and “metabolic” as the main keywords.

Emerging evidence has indicated that KD can affect tumor cells by reducing glucose availability and simultaneous elevation of ketone bodies as non-fermentable metabolic fuels. KD has been suggested to be more effective as a non-toxic therapeutic measure in combination with glutamine targeting agents, chloroquine for lysosomal targeting, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and calorie restriction.

This metabolic approach can be considered as a promising non-toxic strategy for cancer management.