Could keto diet fight one of the deadliest cancers? Early research shows low-carb plan has anti-tumour effect

It's a regime lauded by A-list celebrities including Kim Kardashian and Gwyneth Paltrow for its slimming effect — but the Keto diet could also help beat a notoriously brutal cancer.

Scientists at University of California discovered that the eating plan, which is low-carb and high fat, could help treatments for pancreatic cancer have a more potent effect. 

This is because, they say, the diet starves pancreatic tumours of the energy they need to survive. 

Dubbed the 'silent killer' due to its subtle symptoms, pancreatic cancer kills about 10,000 Brits every year. 

Treatments are often futile as the disease is usually spotted at late stages. Only 40 per cent of patients will survive more than five years after diagnosis. 

For the latest study, published in the journal Nature, scientists split the mice into four groups.

One group were fed a keto diet, another were fed a typical diet, another a typical diet with a cancer drug and the final group a keto diet with a cancer drug. 

The drug given is a new, experimental compound known as eFT508 which works by stopping pancreatic tumours from metabolising fat. 

At the end of the experiment, the researchers found that the mice in the keto diet and drug combination group saw the greatest shrinkage in tumours. 

The researchers suggest this is due to the release of a protein called eukaryotic translation initiation factor (eIF4E), which helps the body metabolise fat, that is triggered by a low-carb diet.

As pancreatic cancer cells thrive on fat, this is thought to help starve the pancreatic tumours of fuel.

'We now have firm evidence of one way in which diet might be used alongside pre-existing cancer therapies to precisely eliminate a cancer,' said study author Dr Davide Ruggero.

The ketogenic diet, also known as the keto diet, involves cutting out almost all carbs and adding a high amount of fat and protein to every meal.

As a result, bread, rice and pasta are completely excluded, as are sweets, chocolate and cakes. Even dairy, fruit and vegetables are limited.

The diet aims to force the body into burning fat for energy instead of glucose — a process known as ketosis.

Dr Ruggero, along with Dr Kevan Shokat, UCSF professor of cellular and molecular pharmacology, developed eFT508 in the 2010s, and it showed some promise in clinical trials. But now, there’s a much more powerful way to use it.

'The field has struggled to firmly link diet with cancer and cancer treatments,' Ruggero said. 

'But to really connect these things productively, you need to know the mechanism.'

Different diet-drug combinations will be needed to treat more forms of cancer.

'We expect most cancers to have other vulnerabilities,' Ruggero said. 

'This is the foundation for a new way to treat cancer with diet and personalized therapies.' 

The pancreas is a tadpole-shaped organ that forms part of the digestive system and also performs a crucial role in hormone regulation.

It is located just behind the stomach and is about 25cm in length.

In its digestive role, it helps produce enzymes that help the body break down food into the nutrients it needs.

It is also critical in making hormones responsible for controlling blood sugar levels in the body.

Potential symptoms of pancreatic cancer include jaundice, where the whites of the eyes and skin turn yellow, alongside itchy skin and darker urine.

Other possible signs include loss of appetite, unintended weight loss, constipation or bloating.

While symptoms are unlikely to be cancer it is important that they are checked out by a GP early just in case, especially if patients have had them for over four weeks.