Alone or in conjunction with calorie restriction and [ketogenic diet](Ketogenic%20diet.md), fasting has shown really good results in various forms of cancer treatment. I fasted during [radiation therapy](../3.6%20%20Standard%20care/Radiation%20therapy.md) and will do so during [chemotherapy](../3.6%20%20Standard%20care/Chemotherapy.md) as well. From Geoffrey Woo: The basic science of fasting is simple. Not eating is a signal for our cells to undergo autophagy, which is a scientific term best explained by its Greek etymological roots: “self-devouring”. Damaged or aging cells and cellular organelles are broken down, and the raw components are recycled into fresh bits for new cells. Instead of eating external food, fasting can be thought of as re-digesting and re-constituting all the extraneous, damaged cruft already stuck in your body. — [Dr. Valter Longo](../../5.%20Resources/People/Dr.%20Valter%20Longo.md)'s website has a ton of research compiled: [Cancer for Doctors - Valter Longo](https://www.valterlongo.com/cancer-for-doctors/) — [Cancer and Fasting / Calorie Restriction | UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Health](https://osher.ucsf.edu/patient-care/integrative-medicine-resources/cancer-and-nutrition/faq/cancer-and-fasting-calorie-restriction) offers a good overview. <iframe width="300" height="215" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/egcXOpa8znA" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> ## Safety and feasibility of fasting in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy Fasting for 72 h around chemotherapy administration is safe and feasible for cancer patients. Biomarkers such as IGF-1 may facilitate assessment of differences in chemotherapy toxicity in subgroups achieving the physiologic fasting state. Source: [Safety and feasibility of fasting in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy - PMC](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4901417/?report=classic) ## Fasting in conjunction with radiation therapy Peter Attia wrote a short post talking about fasting specific to radiation therapy, focusing on a mouse study. Two sets of mice were blasted with an extreme dose of radiation (far beyond anything cancer therapy would deliver), but the key finding was that fasted group were alive and mostly ok after 1 month, while the non-fasted group died within a week. Take from that what you will, but it sounds like fasting is protective against radiation: [Fasting and cancer - Peter Attia](https://peterattiamd.com/fasting-and-cancer/) Study source: [Fasting reduces intestinal radiotoxicity - PMC](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6754784/) ## Fasting mimicking diets These are a way to make the body think metabolically that it is fasting, while still being able to consume certain foods. Dr. Valter Longo is a scientist who has studied fasting for many years as it relates to cancer, and he has co-developed a fast mimicking boxed product that is interesting. All the ingredients are there on the site, so someone with a bit of knowledge on food could recreate their own version: [ProLon Canada - fast mimicking products](https://prolonfast.ca/products/buy-prolon) ## Tom Marsilje's Blog This might be one of the best anecdotal posts on fasting specific to chemotherapy. It's written by a cancer researcher who also happened to have CRC, so it's well written and thorough. Really supports the position that fasting is the way to go: [Chemo in the Fast Lane | Fasting and chemo](https://adventuresinlivingterminallyoptimstic.wordpress.com/2016/09/29/chemo-in-the-fast-lane/) #research Look into Sirtuin 1 as it relates to fasting and its function of protecting healthy cells but not cancer cells ## Studies [Fasting induces anti-Warburg effect that increases respiration but reduces ATP-synthesis to promote apoptosis in colon cancer models - Report](../../5.%20Resources/Clinical%20trials/Fasting%20induces%20anti-Warburg%20effect%20that%20increases%20respiration%20but%20reduces%20ATP-synthesis%20to%20promote%20apoptosis%20in%20colon%20cancer%20models%20-%20Report.md) [Fasting challenges human gut microbiome resilience and reduces Fusobacterium - ScienceDirect](../../5.%20Resources/Clinical%20trials/Fasting%20challenges%20human%20gut%20microbiome%20resilience%20and%20reduces%20Fusobacterium%20-%20ScienceDirect.md) [The effects of short-term fasting on quality of life and tolerance to chemotherapy - Report](../../5.%20Resources/Clinical%20trials/The%20effects%20of%20short-term%20fasting%20on%20quality%20of%20life%20and%20tolerance%20to%20chemotherapy%20-%20Report.md) ## Technical: How fasting works cellularly When deprived of food, mammals generally undergo three metabolic stages ([Wang et al., 2006](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3762887/#R72)): 1) a post-absorptive phase, lasting for 10 or more hours following food ingestion, which involves the use of glycogen as the main stored energy source, 2) an amino acid-dependent glucose generation by gluconeogenesis once the liver glycogen storage has been depleted, and 3) a phase in which the remaining glucose is mostly consumed by the brain while glycerol and fatty acids are released from adipose tissue and become the major energy source. The fat-derived ketonebodies also become a major carbon source in a matter of days of fasting. Within the body, these changes trigger a cellular response including the down-regulation of pathways involved in proliferation, cell growth and the reduced production of reactive oxygen species while simultaneously increasing genomic stability and cellular stress resistance ([Holzenberger et al., 2003](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3762887/#R23); [Hursting et al., 1999](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3762887/#R24); [Lee and Longo, 2011](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3762887/#R35); [Longo and Fontana, 2010](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3762887/#R39); [Sohal and Weindruch, 1996](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3762887/#R67)). #Source :[Short-term calorie and protein restriction provide partial protection from chemotoxicity but do not delay glioma progression - PMC](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3762887/#S16title)