A new study suggests that a common dietary supplement could make a type of cancer treatment called CAR-T cell therapy more effective. The research, conducted by the University of Pennsylvania and Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Centre, was shared at a major medical conference, the 66th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition (Abstract 4).
CAR-T cell therapy is a cancer treatment that uses a patient’s own immune cells to fight cancer. These immune cells are taken from the patient, reprogrammed to attack cancer, and then put back into the body.
Currently, this type of cancer treatment is being extensively used in people with specific blood cancers only. Researchers tested how different diets affected CAR-T cell therapy in mice with a type of blood cancer.
They discovered that a ketogenic diet, popularly known as keto diet, which is very low in carbohydrates and high in fats, improved the ability of CAR-T cells to fight tumors.
Why? The keto diet causes the body to produce a substance called beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB). BHB is a chemical made by the liver when the body burns fat for energy instead of sugar. The researchers found that CAR-T cells use BHB as a better energy source than sugar, giving them more strength to kill cancer cells.
The ketogenic diet, or keto diet, is a way of eating that limits carbohydrates (like bread, rice, and sugar) and focusses on fats (like ghee, butter, and nuts). Normally, the body uses glucose (sugar) from carbohydrates for energy. However, when carbs are drastically reduced, the body enters a state called ketosis, where it starts burning fat for energy instead.
This process produces molecules called ketones, including beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), which act as an alternative fuel. Popular for weight loss, the keto diet typically includes foods like meats, fish, eggs, nuts, dairy, and healthy fats while avoiding bread, rice, sugar, and starchy vegetables.