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Diet comparison suggests a lipid imbalance can slow tumour growth

Understanding how diet affects tumour growth could lead to better treatments. Analysis in mice reveals that a low-calorie diet, but not a ketogenic diet, slows the growth of pancreatic cancer. This effect is mediated by lipid changes.
  1. Giulia Salvadori

    1. Giulia Salvadori is at the IFOM, FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology, Milan 20139, Italy, and in the Department of Oncology and Hemato-oncology, University of Milan.

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  2. Valter D. Longo

    1. Valter D. Longo is at the IFOM, FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology, Milan 20139, Italy, and in the Longevity Institute and Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.

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Various diets, such as those that periodically restrict calorie intake and thereby drive metabolic changes associated with fasting (periodic fasting-mimicking diets)1, or ones that are low in carbohydrates and high in fat (ketogenic diets), are emerging as nutritional interventions that can delay cancer growth and perhaps boost the effect of anticancer drugs1,2. Whereas long-term calorie restriction is not feasible for people on most cancer therapies because it leads to weight loss and lean body mass3, ketogenic diets and periodic fasting-mimicking diets are beginning to be tested in a series of clinical trials, and are particularly promising when used in combination with standard therapies1,2,4–6. Writing in Nature, Lien et al.7 fill in some of the missing details about how diet affects cancer growth.

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Nature 599, 206-207 (2021)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-02775-1

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Competing Interests

V.D.L. has equity interest in L-Nutra, a company that produces medical food. He does not receive consulting fees from L-Nutra and has committed 100% of his shares to charity.

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