It might seem strange to fight cancer with natural lifestyle changes, but that’s precisely what helped Rose Bosworth battle leukemia. Rose was given a prognosis of six months but lowered her cancer numbers after just six weeks. Thanks to her daughter’s suggestion of going keto, Rose is going strong two years after her cancer diagnosis1.
Chemotherapy and Lifestyle Changes
Rose didn’t want to go through a third round of chemotherapy because she knew the treatment would completely deplete her energy. Her daughter, Dr. Annette Bosworth, M.D., acknowledged her mom’s symptoms and prognosis, and strongly recommended a lifestyle change in lieu of chemo. She explained that eating a keto diet high in fat and minimal in carbohydrates places the cancerous cells under stress. On the flip side, the diet works to help strengthen Rose’s immune system and brain.
Dr. Bosworth has over 20 years of experience in the field of internal medicine. A graduate of Sanford School of Medicine, she’s an expert in treating patients with long-term and chronic illnesses. Her focus on preventative medicine and lifestyle adjustments helped her mom exceed expectations and overcome her disease.
Keto’s Effect on Cancer Drugs
Bosworth’s experience brings to mind keto’s connection to the drug Metformin. This drug lowers blood sugar and doctors give it to type 2 diabetes patients. It’s also a common medication for thyroid cancer patients. In the past few years, emerging studies point to Metformin’s ability to attack cancer cell metabolism.
The research includes patients with pancreatic, breast, ovarian, lung, and colorectal cancers, and the drug’s potency ranged among patients. Interestingly, Metformin attacked cancer cells more vigorously in patients with lower blood glucose levels. One of the best ways to lower sugar levels in the blood is with the ketogenic diet.
Short and Long-Term Benefits
The ketogenic lifestyle changes blood chemistry by placing the body in ketosis. This explains how Rose was able to lower her cancer numbers by 30 percent in just six weeks. Numerous studies show that the keto diet is considered an effective natural therapy for a variety of ailments2. This includes high blood pressure, obesity, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, and even some types of cancer. Although keto isn't a cure for cancer by any means, it's been repeatedly demonstrated to be an effective adjuvant therapy to traditional cancer treatments.
Conversely, studies document the correlation between the consumption of processed foods, which are typically high in carbohydrates, and increased cancer risk. Adopting a keto lifestyle is linked to lower blood sugar levels, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and body weight. Furthermore, research shows that going keto for the long-term is safe3. So while it may help those with chronic illnesses, keto can boost the vitality of healthy individuals, too.
NUTRITIONAL DISCLAIMER
The content on this website should not be taken as medical advice and you should ALWAYS consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. We provide nutritional data for our recipes as a courtesy to our readers. We use Total Keto Diet app software to calculate the nutrition and we remove fiber and sugar alcohols, like erythritol, from the total carbohydrate count to get to the net carb count, as they do not affect your blood glucose levels. You should independently calculate nutritional information on your own and not rely on our data. The website or content herein is not intended to cure, prevent, diagnose or treat any disease. This website shall not be liable for adverse reactions or any other outcome resulting from the use of recipes or recommendations on the Website or actions you take as a result. Any action you take is strictly at your own risk.
Dr. Rosmy Barrios, MD is an aesthetic medicine specialist whose work focuses on patients who are treated for obesity, metabolic syndrome, and other weight-related issues through nutritional analysis, keto diet programs, and supporting medications.
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