July 30, 2023
Angie N Choi, EdD, Author of Whole New Me: Healing From Cancer in Body, Mind, and Spirit
There are several success stories of individuals using a ketogenic diet for different types of cancer both with and without conventional treatments like chemotherapy and radiation. A ketogenic diet is a high fat, moderate protein, and low carbohydrate diet that produces ketone bodies instead of glucose as fuel for the body. The diet effectively starves cancer cells of glucose, their primary fuel source, which puts cancer cells under constant stress and makes them more susceptible to cellular death. For more details, here are other articles I wrote on how the ketogenic diet starved cancer cells of glucose and how the metabolic approach to cancer worked for me.
Below are brief synopses of several survivors’ stories of success with the ketogenic diet for cancer.
- Dr. Nasha Winters (Ovarian Cancer) – Nasha Winters is a cancer survivor and naturopathic doctor. She is the author of The Metabolic Approach to Cancer Integrating Deep Nutrition, the Ketogenic Diet, and Nontoxic Bio-Individualized Therapies. She was diagnosed with terminal stage 4 ovarian cancer at the age of 19. She experienced several health issues, but her doctors thought she had a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Originally, she wanted to be a medical doctor, but after her personal and unsuccessful experience in trying to heal with conventional medicine, she pursued naturopathy instead. She applied her naturopathic education to herself as she was healing from cancer and before trying it on patients. She believes there is no single cure for cancer, but by listening to the body’s cells, supporting them metabolically, and supporting the body’s terrain, health will unfold. Three decades later, she remains cancer-free and is driven to transform cancer care throughout the world.
- Patricia Daly (Melanoma) – Patricia Daly was diagnosed with a malignant melanoma of the eye at 28 years old. She underwent radiotherapy and also intuited that she needed to focus on nutritional therapy. She started researching nutrition, cancer, lifestyle, and the mind-body connection and went through a period of self-discovery. She was a banker by profession but returning to work and staring at a computer screen was challenging. She began studying to become a nutritionist which led her to a new career. She experienced a relapse after the birth of her first baby and almost lost her eye, but during that period, she discovered the metabolic approach to cancer and the therapeutic ketogenic diet. She began eating a high-fat, low-carb diet and recovered. Her eyesight returned and the cancer disappeared. Since then, her eyesight has been stable, and she has regained her health. She is a proponent of a complementary approach to cancer. Daly is the co-author of The Ketogenic Kitchen: Low carb. High fat. Extraordinary health., a ketogenic recipe book with meal plans.
- Domini Kemp (Melanoma and Breast Cancer) – Domini Kemp, the other co-author of The Ketogenic Kitchen, was diagnosed with a malignant melanoma in 1998. She had surgery to remove the melanoma and then took Inteferon, a drug used to treat skin cancer. Then, in 2013, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent six rounds of chemotherapy. She had a mastectomy and reconstruction and six weeks of radiation. Kemp changed her diet by eliminating processed food, reducing carbohydrates, avoiding sugar, and taking wheatgrass shots daily. She also used turmeric, garlic, ginger (digestive spices), exercise, and fasting during chemotherapy treatments to heal from cancer. Kemp also recommends listening to your body’s intuition to gain insights into health.
- Pablo Kelly (Brain Cancer) – In 2014, Pablo Kelly was diagnosed with grade 4 glioblastoma. He had an inoperable brain tumor in the parietal lobe, and his oncologist told him he needed to do chemotherapy and radiotherapy, but Kelly chose to do a therapeutic, restricted-calorie ketogenic diet (20 grams or less of carbs). His concern about the quality of his life – regardless of the time he had – was the main reason he chose to forgo standard treatment and implement a ketogenic diet with supplementation initially. After three years of restricting glucose and glutamine in his diet (metabolic approach to cancer), he slowed the tumor’s progression. He also credits not taking steroids and immune-suppressing treatment (chemotherapy) as helpful in maintaining his body’s energy to fight the tumor. He had clear scans for a year but after changing his diet, he didn’t maintain ketosis (relaxation of the ketogenic diet) and in 2018, he had a reoccurrence. He then switched to a no carbohydrate, carnivore diet and got a stable scan within three months of this change. For the next three years, he continued to have stable scans. He underwent two brain surgeries during his healing process. He credits his healing and long-term survival from glioblastoma without chemotherapy or radiotherapy to changing diet, focusing on love, and changing mindset. Kelly accepts donations to help him continue to write his book about his journey.
- Andrew Scarborough (Brain Cancer) – In 2013, Andrew Scarborough suffered a brain hemorrhage and was initially misdiagnosed and told he would be fine but would have to take seizure medication for life. He knew something was not right with the diagnosis after he continued to have seizures and migraines. He was correctly diagnosed some months later with grade 3 anaplastic astrocytoma located between the temporal and frontal lobes that controlled speech and movement. He had surgery to remove the tumor and was told he would need chemotherapy and radiotherapy for two years. After having serious difficulties with chemotherapy, he asked if chemo was effective for his type of tumor and was told probably not. He decided to take control of his health and researched cancer metabolism, nutrition, and dietetics. Eventually, Scarborough settled on a Paleolithic ketogenic diet and started monitoring his Glucose Ketone Index. Ten years later, he is still doing fine with no progression of disease. Scarborough’s case, like Pablo Kelly’s, is remarkable given that average life expectancy for brain cancer without treatment is 3 months and with treatment is 15 to 18 months.
- Elaine Cantin (Breast Cancer) – In 2010, Elaine Cantin was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a lumpectomy to remove the tumor. She was advised to start chemotherapy and radiation but declined for quality-of-life reasons. Shortly after, the tumor grew back. Cantin began researching the ketogenic diet and implemented it in her life. She modified the diet to also remove several allergenic foods and toxins to encourage immunotherapy. Her tumor started shrinking and eventually disappeared. In 2013, the cancer returned in an advanced state. She had been under much stress and had gone off the ketogenic diet. She immediately implemented the diet again and later scans revealed no evidence of disease. She is the author of the Cantin Ketogenic Diet for Cancer, Type 1&2 Diabetes, Epilepsy & Other Ailments. Like Kelly, Cantin needed to stay on the ketogenic diet to avoid cancer recurrence.
- Martha Tettenborn (Ovarian Cancer) – In 2018, Martha Tettenborn was diagnosed with stage 1 ovarian cancer. She had laparoscopic surgery to remove the tumor, but the cyst ruptured. She underwent six rounds of chemotherapy but fasted before infusions which helped cloak healthy cells from the toxicity of chemotherapy while making cancer cells more vulnerable to the treatment. Fasting limits insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) signaling which curbs cell growth and proliferation, but cancer cells are insensitive to these signals so chemotherapy can harm cancer cells effectively. A registered dietitian, Tettenborn used a low carbohydrate, ketogenic diet and fasting to heal from cancer. She is the author of Hacking Chemo: Using Ketogenic Diet, Therapeutic Fasting and a Kickass Attitude to Power Through Cancer.
- Angie Choi (Ovarian Cancer) – in 2021, I was diagnosed with a large tumor the size of a cantaloupe on my left ovary (stage 1). I decided to undergo a total hysterectomy with salpingo-oopherectomy (surgical removal of fallopian tubes and ovaries), to remove the tumor, but during the debulking process, spillage occurred, so my oncologist recommended six rounds of chemotherapy. I opted out of chemotherapy and chose a metabolic approach to cancer instead. The main part of this approach is a therapeutic ketogenic diet. After five weeks of being on the diet (plus taking anti-parasitic medication), cancer antigen (CA) levels were reduced drastically to normal. A normal range is from 0 – 35. Prior to surgery to debulk the tumor, my CA levels were at 484. After surgery, they went down to 243. After implementing the diet and antiparasitic medication for five weeks, my levels reduced drastically to 14. Each quarterly check afterwards reduced even further to 3.9 and remained low to the present. My latest scan also showed no evidence of disease. My book, Whole New Me: Healing From Cancer in Body, Mind, and Spirit, describes my healing process using a metabolic, ketogenic, integrative approach to cancer. Cancer is not only physical but mental or emotional too. The mind’s role in cancer is another arena of opportunity for healing and should not be overlooked. A holistic approach to healing from cancer helped me to understand root issues of cancer at physical, mental, and spiritual levels of being.
Diet is a critical pillar of health and when the body is supported with proper nutrition, it can heal. These cases present survivors who used therapeutic ketogenic diets successfully for even the most aggressive cancers. In many of these stories, survivors used other therapies with the ketogenic diet. Although the diet was not the sole treatment in most cases, it was the main therapy to provide healthy cells energy while eliminating cancer cells’ energy. A ketogenic diet may not be a stand-alone cure for cancer, but it is an effective dietary strategy for cancer management and allows patients to continue to take in nutrients unlike long-term fasting. In some cases, the diet may be effective as the main therapy or in combination with other metabolic approaches. The diet may also keep cancer from spreading further thereby providing time to try additional treatments. In other cases, the diet may be combined with standard treatment for greater results. All people present differently and need individualized approaches based upon their cancer stage, nutritional needs, support, environment, and willingness to adhere to the diet.