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DCA Discussion Forum
Andrew Yassin
Member since Mar-6-07
12 posts |
Apr-21-09, 06:04 PM (PST) |
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"DCA and ketogenic diet?"
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DCA and ketogenic diet? Sorry if repeat, but my post didn't show up anymore.Dear all, I have recently had a minor recurrence for a brain tumor. It is still most likely an oligodendroglioma WHO3. This last week I have started a strict ketogenic diet (thus eliminating almost all carbohydrates, and wolfing down huge amounts of fat; butter, coconut oil etc etc along with some protein - mostly eggs). This kind of diet has been shown to have a powerful effect on brain tumors (paper by Linda Nebeling, 1995). In brief, this shifts the bodies main energy source from glucos to ketones. I just learnt that fat (and protein) can be transformed into glucose in the liver (gluconeogenesis). This leads to a very steady and low blood sugar curve over time. This starves tumor tissue since available glucose for glycolysis is reduced. But normal brain cells (neurons) are actually strengthened. They create more mitochondria as a response to the influx of ketone bodies. I am thinking of combining this dietary approach with DCA during the time up to surgery in ca 4-6 weeks time. Any thoughts on this? I read in the big DCA paper that DCA also decreases the rate of oxidation of fat in the GBM tumor line, along with lowering the rate of glycolysis. Thus I think that the combination can be additive, or possibly synergistic! Please comment! Cheers, Andrew |
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Andrew Yassin
Member since Mar-6-07
12 posts |
Apr-23-09, 05:55 PM (PST) |
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4. "RE: DCA and ketogenic diet?"
In response to message #3
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OK - good to see response here! This below is a fact. A Ketogenic diet aids in making tumor tissue LESS acidic. It is the process of aerobic glycolysis that renders tumors acidic. Thus, reducing the amount of glucose available, shifting to ketone bodies, normalizes tumor pH. Recent animal studies has shown this. Low pH in acidic tumors tends to downregulate the activity of immunecells that otherwise might target the tumor. Thus, a ketogenic diet is likely to augment the efficacy of immunological cancer treatments.
As for keto and DCA, it seems likely that a ketogenic diet should make one less sensitive to some of the side effects. With a metabolism geared towards ketones as primary fuel, any DCA-induced lowering of available blood glucose should be less of a worry. I will today check out a suitable dosage of DCA, and start taking it tomorrow. This will be part of my "neo-adjuvant" strategy, thus targeting the tumor prior to conventional therapy (ie, surgery). All the best, Andrew |
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algarve7
Member since Aug-8-09
3 posts |
Sep-24-09, 09:24 AM (PST) |
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6. "RE: DCA and ketogenic diet?"
In response to message #5
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We are going to give the Ketogenic diet a go for breast cancer, combined with 10mg/kg DCA, 400mg Artemisinin, 4.5mg LDN, 165mg Maitake Pro D-Fraction, 12000 IU Vitamin D3, and a number of other things every day. Some patient results with the Ketogenic diet: Blood glucose, lactate, and pyruvate concentrations decreased and there was a trend towards a reduced plasma alanine with the establishment of systemic ketosis. Because lactate, pyruvate, and alanine can act as substrates for gluconeogenesis, it is possible that the changes in substrate concentrations associated with systemic ketosis might reduce the rate at which glucose is supplied to the tumor. Moreover, the trend towards elevated blood levels of fat-derived energy substrates (free fatty acids and ketone bodies) and reduction in blood glucose concentration emphasize the potential of systemic ketosis in maintaining the supply of energy to the host while reducing glucose supply to the tumor. From: Cancer cachexia: influence of systemic ketosis on substrate levels and nitrogen metabolism http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/reprint/47/1/42.pdf |
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algarve7
Member since Aug-8-09
3 posts |
Oct-10-09, 09:24 PM (PST) |
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7. "RE: DCA and ketogenic diet?"
In response to message #6
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The Ketogenic diet is most effective when it is combined with calorie restriction. That's very important. Calorie restriction alone has been shown to have a significant effect on cancer growth, but combined with a high fat diet, we can avoid weight loss and cachexia. Important fats are coconut oil, butter, flaxseed oil, fish oil, cod liver oil and some olive oil. There is an interesting paper here: The calorically restricted ketogenic diet, an effective alternative therapy for malignant brain cancer http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1743-7075-4-5.pdf And another interesting one on the same topic here:
Carbohydrate restriction in patients with advanced cancer - a protocol to assess safety and feasibility with an accompanying hypothesis http://www.communityoncology.net/journal/articles/0501022.pdf |
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