Ketogenic diet and its effects on tumour growth and ‘wasting syndrome’

Professor Ashok Venkitaraman, Director of the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore at the National University of Singapore, together with Assistant Professor Tobias Janowitz, Principal Investigator at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York, and an international group of researchers from the USA and UK, have discovered that ketogenic diets delay tumour growth but accelerate cachexia, a wasting syndrome, an unintended side effect that could cause death.

New Model May Help Us Better Understand Cancer-Related Disability in Humans

A novel preclinical mouse model of pancreatic cancer may promote better understanding of the mechanisms that lead to disability in human cancer patients, according to the findings of a new study presented this week at the Association of Academic Physiatrists Annual Meeting.

Researchers identify therapeutic targets to prevent cancer-associated muscle loss

Researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center have identified a key cell signaling pathway that drives the devastating muscle loss, or cachexia, suffered by many cancer patients. The study, which will be published May 22 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, suggests that targeting this pathway with a drug already in phase 2 clinical trials for diabetes could prevent this syndrome.

Amino Acid Supplement + Radiation for Cancer = A Dangerous Mix for Some

Research in mice suggests that supplementing the essential nutrient methionine combined with radiation therapy impairs gut function to promote a life-threatening form of radiation toxicity. The study highlights the importance of food and nutrition professionals as part of a cancer treatment team.