Intermittent fasting:
What it does, in the end, is that it cuts the periods you eat and of course those you fast.
- The most popular methods that have been used include the 16/8 method. In this method, you eat within an 8-hour window and stay under fast for the remaining 16 hours of the day.
- The other one is called the 5:2, which involves everyday eating habits for 5 days and minimizing calorie intake considerably on two nonconsecutive days.
Some studies, though, experiment with even shorter windows of eating or even lengthier periods of fasting in medical settings for patients diagnosed with cancer.
How does fasting influence cancer cells differently from normal cells?
Now, things start getting fascinating. Fasting exerts different effects on cancer cells and normal cells. This is called “differential stress resistance.” In response to stress, normal cells can switch to survival modes. Waste no energy, they wouldn’t. Cancer cells cannot do this.
They will continue requiring high glucose levels and other nutrients even when not there. This keeps them in a state of jeopardy during the fasting periods.
So, what happens to the cancer cells during fasting while on chemotherapy?
When we combine fasting with chemotherapy, some valuable things happen. First, through fasting, the levels of insulin and glucose in the blood are reduced. Cancer cells love glucose-they need it to grow and multiply. When we minimize available glucose, life gets more challenging for cancer cells. Second, fasting induces autophagy, where cells clean out damaged parts. This helps healthy cells survive but may make cancer cells more prone to dying.
Can fasting make chemotherapy work better?
Research suggests that it may!
When a patient fasts, the healthy cells enter protective mode before and during chemotherapy. That means doctors may even be able to give patients a more potent dosage of chemotherapy with fewer side effects on healthy cells. Cancer cells, by contrast, will be more sensitive to the treatment because they’re already stressed from their nutrient deprivation.
What about the immune system and inflammation?
Intermittent fasting appears to increase our immune system. It reduces inflammation in our body as a whole, which is excellent since chronic inflammation paradoxically can feed cancer development. It also stimulates new immune cells, which removes old, broken ones. This revitalized immune system may better kill cancer cells.
What happens with stem cells in cancer treatment using intermittent fasting?
Stem cells are extraordinary cells that develop into different forms of cells found in the body. Fasting safeguards these essential cells during chemotherapy. The protection is important because stem cells help our body recover after treatment. Research shows that fasting stimulates stem cells to be more proactive in repairing or replacing defective tissues.
What are the real-world advantages for cancer patients?
Many cancer patients claim they benefit from intermittent fasting. For some, the nausea and fatigue that often appear after chemotherapy sessions are significantly reduced. Others feel more energetic, and their thought processes become much more straightforward.
Periods of fasting might also reduce many side effects produced by cancer treatment, including mouth sores and digestive issues. Still, these benefits vary depending upon the individual.
That would be fantastic, and it is essential to remember. Fasting can indeed be helpful, but it is not safe for everybody. Patients with cancer who have weight loss or diabetes or who take certain drugs can’t do fasting. A potential consequence of fasting is losing too much weight or becoming malnourished when done inappropriately. This is why one must discuss their fasting plans with the oncology team before beginning.
Conclusion:
Considering periodic fasting:
Discuss periodic fasting with your oncologist first. They can assess your situation and determine whether it will be safe. If it is permitted, you should begin very conservatively. You should start with shorter terms of fasting and pay attention to how your body responds. Keep records about how you’re feeling and experiencing the side effects. Working with an experienced registered dietitian regarding your eating windows while fasting ensures you are getting proper nutrition.
Fasting does not replace standard treatments for cancer; it’s a supporting strategy that may help your body respond better to treatment. Talk to your medical team about how to incorporate fasting into your plan.
We must understand that it is an ongoing process and scientists will continue studying how fasting impacts during cancer treatment. But so far, there is no proof to make a broad conclusion, even if there are promising early results. So, we need more research in order to identify who might benefit the most from this approach and also the ways to use it in a safe and effective manner. The keys will be informed awareness, close collaboration with your healthcare team, and decision-making based on your situation and needs.
REFERENCE LINKS:
https://acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.3322/caac.21694
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34788373/
https://www.cancer.org.au/iheard/is-a-fasting-diet-beneficial-to-cancer-patients
https://ezra.com/blog/fasting-and-cancer
https://www.ej-clinicmed.org/index.php/clinicmed/article/view/345