Keto for Cancer: Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy as a Targeted Nutritional Strategy

This is a great book, and will be vital for many people as more and more realize dietary adjustments will complement and improve (if not replace) other interventions to treat cancer. The author details in fair depth "the metabolic approach to cancer" that was initiated by Otto Warburg nearly a century ago and has been revitalized by Thomas Seyfried.Put simply, modern humans are filling their tanks both with too much fuel and with different fuels at the wrong proportions (per evolutionary tuning). Our engines are strained, and this excessive and imbalanced intake can feed cancers. We can try to limit that by 1) restricting calories and 2) restricting carbs and proteins (that fuel cancer). That means a diet based on healthy fats, which can fuel normal cells but do not fuel the explosive growth of cancer tumors. The book goes into great detail about how to pursue this anti-cancer diet.A few thoughts on what I might like to see in the next edition:1) A little more discussion on fasting, especially of duration longer than 2-3 days. All "extended fasting" is dismissed with a sentence, but there must be some room to talk about potential benefits (and harms) of fasting for periods longer than 3 days but shorter than, say, 30 days.Similarly, there is a great appendix of resources that are listed under various headings but there is no heading for "fasting." If the coverage of therapeutic fasting isn't expanded in the actual text of the book, it would at least be helpful to give a comprehensive list of the best current resources on science-based fasting. A comprehensive approach to metabolic healing should thoroughly investigate and discuss potential benefits of NOT eating as well as of ketogenic eating.2) A little more clarity in the discussion on glutamine in foods. We know it is in animal protein (and obviously in glutamine supplements), but it is an amino acid that is in all kinds of things. If it plays a major role in feeding cancer, don't we want to try to limit it more greatly? I remain confused about the fact that keto staples like nuts and cruciferous vegetables ALSO have lots of glutamine. Do we try to restrict dietary glutamine, or not? If so, how?It would seem that rather than just a low protein ketogenic diet, what we really want would be a low glutamine ketogenic diet. Am I missing something?But other than that, 98 out of 100 still equals an A+ for this book!

Very informative read....

In my studies of the horrific disease of cancer since 2008 when my father was diagnosed with esophagal cancer and six months later my step-mother with breast cancer, I began my journey on the study of cancer and its causes. Is it hereditary, from a virus, parasites, bad diet, stress, etc.? This book as well as the findings of Dr. Thomas Seyfried (whom you'll find on youtube) convincingly shows without a doubt that it is none of those, but a metabolic disease. Now it all makes sense. Even Gerson, who has had success with cancer patients used a plant based approach which is no doubt a low glutamine diet. Those whose cancer is caused by glutamines can irradicate keep at bay their cancer from avoiding meat which is high in glutamines. But then those whose cancer is glucose based can irradicate their cancer through keto, very low glucose. How do you know which one to do? Miriam Kalamian points you to a low protein (much lower protein than most keto diets) with some vegetables, a combination of the two. This agrees with Dr. Seyfried's findings.This book points the way to manage or irradicate cancer. Thomas Seyfried's book: An overview of Cancer as a Metabolic Disease is also worth a read. The two books are worth its weight in gold if you are fighting cancer. Too bad most doctors are ignorant of the fact that concrete scientific studies prove that cancer is truly a metabolic disease.

I am a ten year cancer survivor and have followed a ketogenic diet for the past seven years. I closely follow the research and resources on ketogenic diets for cancer therapy currently available. This new book is, without a doubt, the best one for patients. It is readable and personal, yet it includes specific details for using the diet with conventional treatment that have been lacking in earlier books on the subject.Miriam Kalamian strikes a good balance explaining the complex science behind how diet can impact cancer’s progression and be used therapeutically without overwhelming biochemistry or over promising its potential. She outlines the basic diet protocol and easy ways to ramp up to a ketogenic diet, while still providing important details about using the diet with certain types of cancer or chemotherapy. You will learn how to work with your cancer team to create a personalized diet plan that fits into the overall treatment plan. There is misinformation about ketogenic plans on the internet now; why this author’s extensive clinical experience and skill is so valuable to the diet’s application with cancer. Her references to studies, articles and the resource list are also helpful for readers who want to explore further. Kalamian’s website DietaryTherapies provides an introduction to the topic and her family’s story; it is a good preview to her writing and the information in the book. Keto for Cancer is the book I have wanted all these years, it is a must read for anyone in the cancer community.

Great book