Atkins Diet Misconceptions: Ketogenic diets and Cancer Risk
January 30th, 2010 by popular diet
In this video, which is a reaction to friend and fellow firefighter being treated for cancer and venturing into a vegan video (and being slandered and attacked – tinyurl.com ), I respond to the theory that consumption of animal products (aka delicious meat, eggs, and cheese) on a ketogenic diet like Atkins leads to a higher cancer risk. First the detractors and their comments: tinyurl.com “Another Harvard study showed that women with the highest intake of animal fat seem to have over a 75% greater risk of developing breast cancer.[285] ” As one Harvard School of Public health researcher noted, because of the meat content, two years on the Atkins Diet “could initiate a cancer. It could show up as a polyp in 7 years and as colon cancer in ten. The most comprehensive report on diet and cancer in history was published in 1997. It took over four years to complete, reviewing 4500 studies from thousands of researchers across the globe. After all that work, what was their number one recommendation? “Choose a diet that is predominantly plant based, rich in a variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and beans with minimally processed starchy foods.”[491] In other words, essentially the opposite of the Atkins Diet. (Side note: Do they even know what the Atkins Diet is? Do they understand the promoted variety of vegetables and phyto-nutrients featured?) In the January issue of Scientific American it was noted: “Cancer is most frequent among those branches of the human race where carnivorous habits prevail.” In response to these studies, correlation does not equal causality. What else do these carnivorous, which is just more name calling since we are more omnivorious) also eat or do? Do they eat bread with their meat? Do they talk more on their cell phone? What is their total sugar intake in relation to vegans? Here are the mentioned studies: All cancers: Back in the 1920s, Nobel laureate Otto Warburg discovered this particular metabolism, termed aerobic glycolysis, the glycolytic phenotype, or the Warburg effect. Perspective Medicine Chemistry 2007 The Role of Glucose Metabolism and Glucose-Associated Signalling in Cancer tinyurl.com However, to prevent cancer-cachexia (wasting away or loss of muscle/appetite), we propose the application of a carbohydrate-restricted nutrition, which includes significant amounts of (n-3) fatty acids as well as selected plant polyphenols. Considering the observations discussed above, this strategy could represent a novel and promising approach for a diet-based intervention against aggressive cancer. Sugar consumption is positively associated with cancer in humans and test animals (5861). This observation is quite logical because tumours are known to be enormous sugar absorbers. It has also been found that the risk of breast cancer decreases with increases in total fat intake (16). Long-term effects of a ketogenic diet in obese patients tinyurl.com Pérez-Guisado J. Carbohydrates, glucose metabolism and cancer. Endocrinology Nutrition. 2006;53:252255. tinyurl.com tinyurl.com Since early 2007, Dr. Melanie Schmidt and biologist Ulrike Kämmerer, both at the Würzburg hospital, have been enrolling cancer patients in a clinical study of a most unexpected medication: fat. The good news is that the results were positive: the patients stayed alive, their physical condition stabilized or improved and their tumors slowed or stopped growing, or shrunk. Brain Cancer The calorically restricted ketogenic diet, an effective alternative therapy for malignant brain cancer. – Nutr Metab (Lond). 2007 February tinyurl.com Effects of a ketogenic diet on tumor metabolism and nutritional status in pediatric oncology patients Journal of the American College of Nutrition, April 1995 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Drug/diet synergy for managing malignant astrocytoma in mice Nutrition And Metabolism May 2008 tinyurl.com Breast Cancer www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Lancet. 1996 May Intake of macronutrients and risk of breast cancer. tinyurl.com Our findings suggest that the associations between carbohydrate intake or glycemic load and breast cancer risk among young adult women differ by body weight. With obesity, the more carbohydrates the greater the risk of cancer. Gastro Intestinal Cancer tinyurl.com Growth of human gastric cancer cells in nude mice is delayed by a ketogenic diet Nutrition and colorectal cancer risk: The role of insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1. Rudolf Kaaks International Agency for Research on Cancer Conclusions: Chronically high levels of circulating insulin and igfs associated with a Western lifestyle may increase colorectal cancer risk
This entry was posted on Saturday, January 30th, 2010 at 12:37 am and is filed under Atkins Diet. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.
January 30th, 2010 at 12:37 am
Thank you for watching, Ang! Merry Christmas!
January 30th, 2010 at 12:37 am
Absolutely correct. That’s why anyone should be suspicious of a health professional that does not look like you want to look. Dr. Michael Eades had a post comparing Jack La Lanne to Ancel Keys (father of a lot that is currently wrong with nutrition), and I’m definitely gearing myself to be more like Jack.
January 30th, 2010 at 12:37 am
i have to say again i love this vid and i heard paul chek say something about these studys most of them are BS because you cant learn health from and unhealthy person we should learn health from healthy fit people instead of studying unhealthy people
January 30th, 2010 at 12:37 am
sugar feeds cancer or cancer feeds of of sugar
January 30th, 2010 at 12:37 am
love it love it
January 30th, 2010 at 12:37 am
I think people find fault with whatever they can. I see it in my own gym. I have had some “vegetarians” complaining about why they do not gain muscle. I had one guy last week ask me “how do you get so big?” well, I told him. I train 6 days a week and I live on Atkins. All of a sudden “oh gawd, you are going to die. Blah blah blah and continued to rant about meat eating. I am not saying this JUST because I am a meat lover, but I seen fatter vegetarians than meat eaters.
January 30th, 2010 at 12:37 am
When it’s evident like your shrinking in inches (I understand the pound frustration), it would be hard to be anything ecstatic with your progress. Keep spreading the good news!
January 30th, 2010 at 12:37 am
I just want to tell you my doctor is SO happy about this diet for me. No, it is not for everyone but seriously, things for me have improved being on this diet. My bodyfat is going WAY down. I am however being checked for a Thyroid issue on the 21st this month. People are so fast to bash this diet yet they eat like shit and never bother to really learn about this style of eating. Like you, I rather know what I am eating. It is a lifestyle and a choice.
January 30th, 2010 at 12:37 am
Yep, you are eating a more simple dietary life and less processed. How healthy is margarine? A product so processed with hydrogenated oils that they had to create a new brands bragging that they don’t have the problems (ignoring the fact butter never did) or have names wishing they were butter.
I’d rather eat things with ingredients I know. Make as much of the food myself as opposed to some factory worker late on his shift. Convenience ultimately breeds obesity. Thanks for watching!
January 30th, 2010 at 12:37 am
Another winner Kent! Well done!
I’m another Atkins loser although not as dramatic as your loss. I wasted a lot of years eating by the “pyramid” and avoiding the real butter I grew up with. I’ve finally gone back to the way my parents and grandparents ate, basically Atkins-like, and I’ve regained my health and slimmed back down! So how’s that unhealthy?
Keep making your videos – I’ll keep sending links to all my friends who I think might benefit! Some even thank me and go on to join us!
January 30th, 2010 at 12:37 am
wEII thats n0t nice, 0f them they are s0 hatefuI, rather than being the peace I0vers they p0rtray themseIves t0 be.
January 30th, 2010 at 12:37 am
Thank you so much for help!!! I feel much better today. And I feel much energy. You are a wonderful person, God bless you.
January 30th, 2010 at 12:37 am
If they ate like we do sans the meat, being a vegetarian could be healthy, but I would say it is much more difficult to ensure one’s health and all the dietary nutrients and minerals without animal products. I wish them luck with their diet, but ironically few of them wish the same of me or others like us.
The kicker is when they say we have no variety or need the “rainbow” of colors on our plate. Last time I checked, they were the only ones to eliminate two full food groups. (dairy & meat)
January 30th, 2010 at 12:37 am
if i went vegan i w0uId die, the Iap band surgery requries i have t0ns 0f meat, vegans d0nt understand s0me pe0pIe need that meat t0 survive, we are naturaI cariv0res and we need meat in 0ur b0dies 0r pr0tiens. PIus vegan F00d is fuII 0f preservatives and sugars and dyes, it anit the m0st heaIthy f00d. I kn0w ive I00ked.
January 30th, 2010 at 12:37 am
Have you watched any of my videos? 6 years later my 211 pounds are still off, and I could not be healthier according to my doctor or blood work. Exactly what is healthy about refined sugars, starches, and white flour? How many pizza crusts, donuts, and grams of HFCS does one need each day? Conversely what is unhealthy of a diet based meat, veggies, cheese, nuts, fruit? (especially if every single health marker and athletic performance get better dramatically)
Keep your diet, I have mine..
January 30th, 2010 at 12:37 am
The easiest but most expensive and painful answer is to buy a blood glucose test kit.
A second method would be to buy ketosis test strips, but they are often inaccurate due to only testing a single type of ketones.
My preferred way is to simply eat by the book, and there is never any question. If all you are eating on Induction is the 3 cups per day of salad veggies or 2-1 with other veggies, you are golden.
After Induction, you add carbs in the form of veg until you stop losing (5g/week).
January 30th, 2010 at 12:37 am
Atkin diet is NOT healthy. You do need a bit of fat in your diet. I’ll never follow Atkin diet, because of the diet plan that is “supposedly” to work, only in the short term. In the long term, it won’t help keep your weight off. The only way to lose weight is to eat healthy food and exercise and you’ll keep at a healthy weight for the rest of your life.
January 30th, 2010 at 12:37 am
It certainly helps! The guy that sells it says that it is not absorbed by the body. I have just worked so hard and I don’t want to blow it! Kent-plz, how can I monitor my glucose levels? I don’t understand that part of low carbing.
January 30th, 2010 at 12:37 am
I appreciate the fact that lactose might be slightly lower glycemic that straight sucrose (table sugar), but its convertability is the same. I simply don’t believe its reported net carb equals 1g on the package not when the nutrition label has to report 4g of sugar. Its def. not Induction friendly.
As for causing you out of ketosis, that is more a matter of amount. I would count the full 4g against your total for the day, and expect perhaps a glucose rush. I hope this helps.
January 30th, 2010 at 12:37 am
I am not a big Splenda eater being limited to 3 servings a day on Atkins prevents over eating. I have been eating a bit more Truvia lately, but it still has not performed in recipe as well as Splenda. Here’s my take on Whey Low, which I only know through what is reported on those that sell it:
Nutrition Facts: Total Carbohydrate: 4g, Sugars 4g
Whey Low Ingredients: Sucrose, Fructose, Lactose Monohydrate
That sounds like lots of sugar. All 3 are simple sugars and easily converted to glucose.
January 30th, 2010 at 12:37 am
Have you tried Wheylow? I am beginning to worry about the use of so much splenda and I have heard rave reviews about this product. For the last few weeks I have been in a constant state of low ketosis and the scale is finally moving in the right direction again. I am very very carb sensitive and have to really restrict them in order to lose. Do you think WheyLow would cause me to jump out of ketosis? How do I eheck my blood sugar to see if it cause a spike? Thanks for ANY help.
January 30th, 2010 at 12:37 am
Absolutely your cancer risk factors decreased. That’s what gets me – a diet or way of eating proved so successful and healthy for others getting knocked so consistently on largely moral or ethical grounds. If it was just that, you could perhaps talk about it if you didn’t mind being called a sissy, criminal, deadly diet purveyor, or just generally heckled like I was in the Eating Documentary, but then they skew science to their side too and all around misrepresent everything..
Congrats BTW!
January 30th, 2010 at 12:37 am
Thanks for the nice compliment!
January 30th, 2010 at 12:37 am
Thank you very much Dusty…
January 30th, 2010 at 12:37 am
You look handsome!! And Yes I agree with you!