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What Everyone Needs To Know About Cancer with Professor Thomas Seyfried #385

Sep 19, 2023 2h 1m 20 insights
When I started medical school in 1995, we were taught that one in four people was likely to develop cancer in their lifetime. Today, that statistic has changed to one in two – a rapid rise that can’t be explained by genetics. But if our modern diet and lifestyles are the cause, we have more control than we might think. That’s the message my guest, Professor Thomas Seyfried, has worked tirelessly to prove and communicate over his four decades as a cancer researcher. Professor Seyfried is a professor of biology, genetics and biochemistry at Boston College, Massachusetts, and author of more than 150 peer-reviewed publications, as well as the 2012 book Cancer As A Metabolic Disease. Through his research, and in this conversation, he sets out to explain how it’s a malfunction in our mitochondria – the energy powerhouses in each of our cells – that’s at the root of every cancer he’s studied. Normal-functioning mitochondria, he explains, use oxygen to make energy. In cancer, this process is disrupted. Cancer cells cannot use oxygen, so they fall back on a primitive form of energy creation known as fermentation.   It follows then, explains Professor Seyfried, that if we can somehow stop this fermentation process, then cancer cells will die. Cancer uses glucose and glutamine to fuel fermentation. While we don’t want to block glutamine, as it has other uses in the body, we can drastically lower our glucose levels to stop driving cancer growth. We discuss some of the ways in which we can start doing this – for example, using specific low-carb diets and nutritional ketosis. Professor Seyfried also talks us through his ground-breaking ‘metabolic therapy’ protocols for treating cancer – sometimes, alongside conventional treatments like chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Professor Seyfried has spent decades researching and proving a metabolic cause for this devastating disease. This a compelling and optimistic conversation, packed with actions we can all take to reduce our risk not just of cancer, but all the chronic conditions driven by metabolic disruption. CAUTION: This podcast discusses ketogenic diets and water-only fasting. Always consult a qualified healthcare practitioner before making any drastic changes to your diet or before going for prolonged periods without eating. Support the podcast and enjoy Ad-Free episodes. Try FREE for 7 days on Apple Podcasts https://apple.co/feelbetterlivemore. For other podcast platforms go to https://fblm.supercast.com. Show notes https://drchatterjee.com/385
Actionable Insights

1. Lower Blood Sugar for Cancer

Understand that hyperglycemia accelerates rapid tumor growth; actively lowering blood sugar levels can slow tumor growth and aid in long-term cancer management without toxicity.

2. Starve Cancer Cells

Target the fermentation metabolism of cancer cells by restricting their primary fuels, glucose and glutamine, while transitioning the body to non-fermentable fuels like ketone bodies and fatty acids, which normal cells can use but tumor cells cannot.

3. Prioritize Mitochondrial Health

Recognize that modern diet, lifestyles, and environment contribute to cancer by causing mitochondrial malfunction; adopt a ‘right diet and lifestyle’ including exercise and ketogenesis to keep mitochondria healthy and make cancer development more difficult.

4. Embrace Nutritional Ketosis

Consider specific low-carb diets to achieve nutritional ketosis, as ketones act as a ‘super fuel’ for mitochondria, reducing reactive oxygen species and enhancing mitochondrial health and function.

5. Monitor Glucose Ketone Index

Utilize a glucose ketone index (GKI) meter to measure your blood glucose and ketone levels, aiming for a ratio of 2.0 or below to achieve maximal metabolic homeostasis and put pressure on cancer cells.

6. Reduce Processed Carbs

Limit the consumption of poorly nutritious, processed carbohydrates (like high-fructose corn syrup) to prevent obesity and elevated blood sugar, which are major risk factors and accelerants for tumor growth.

7. Exercise Regularly

Engage in regular exercise to bring oxygen into your blood, improve blood flow, and increase overall physiological function, which is essential for maintaining healthy mitochondria and reducing cancer risk.

8. Address Obesity Risk

Understand that obesity is a major risk factor for cancer, now replacing smoking in significance, and take steps to manage body weight.

9. Explore Water-Only Fasting

Consider water-only fasting to significantly lower blood glucose and glutamine levels while elevating ketones, which has been observed to help eliminate cancer in some individuals (consult a professional due to intensity).

10. Initiate with Zero-Carb Diet

If facing a cancer diagnosis, consider starting with a zero-carb diet for about 10 days to gradually lower your GKI before transitioning to water-only fasting, easing the body’s adjustment.

11. Target Glutamine with Drugs

Under professional guidance, consider using repurposed drugs that can interrupt the glutamine pathway (glutaminolysis) as part of a ‘press pulse’ therapeutic strategy, in combination with dietary interventions, to manage cancer.

12. Utilize Hyperbaric Oxygen (Ketosis)

Explore hyperbaric oxygen therapy as an alternative to radiation, but only after achieving a state of ketosis (low blood sugar, high ketones), as this combination effectively kills cancer cells by increasing reactive oxygen species without harming normal body cells.

13. Minimize Environmental Insults

Reduce exposure to contaminants in the atmosphere, consume fewer poorly nutritious foods, and increase exercise to lessen insults to the body that contribute to chronic diseases, including cancer.

14. Manage Chronic Stress

Actively manage chronic stress, as it is one of the lifestyle factors that can make a real difference in reducing your risk of cancer in the future.

15. Prioritize Good Sleep

Prioritize getting good quality sleep as it is an important lifestyle factor that contributes to overall health and can help reduce cancer risk.

16. Consult Professional for Diet Changes

Before making any drastic dietary changes, especially if you have a cancer diagnosis, consult a qualified healthcare professional.

17. Embrace Therapeutic Weight Loss

For overweight or obese individuals with cancer, understand that therapeutic weight loss (e.g., through fasting or ketogenic diets) can be beneficial, as the body mobilizes fats that tumor cells cannot use, distinguishing it from pathological weight loss.

18. Advocate Metabolic Cancer Therapy

Advocate for the integration of metabolic therapy, potentially as a primary or initial approach, to manage cancer, recognizing its scientific basis and potential to enhance the success of existing treatments.

19. Rethink Cancer Genetics

Understand that many genetic mutations observed in cancer are largely downstream effects (epiphenomena) of damage to oxidative phosphorylation, rather than the primary causes of the disease.

20. Minimize Brain Tumor Radiation

If diagnosed with a brain tumor, consider minimizing or avoiding radiation treatment, as it can inadvertently create a microenvironment rich in glucose and glutamine, accelerating tumor growth.