New Delhi : While the keto diet high in fat and low in carbohydrates remains hugely popular for weight loss, a new animal study warns that it may increase the risk of an aggressive type of breast cancer. Therefore, people should carefully consider the connection between the keto diet and breast cancer.
Researchers at the University of Utah in the US found that high lipid levels caused by fatty acids a hallmark of higher-weight bodies that promotes tumor growth can also increase the risk of triple-negative breast cancer.
The preclinical study on mouse models indicates that breast cancer patients and survivors in higher-weight bodies could benefit from lipid-lowering therapies. Furthermore, it advises them to avoid high-fat weight-loss regimens like ketogenic diets because of the potential link between the keto diet and breast cancer.
“The key here is that people underestimate the importance of fats and lipids in what we call higher weight,” said Keren Hilgendorf from the Huntsman Cancer Institute.
She explained, “Our study shows that breast cancer cells are addicted to lipids. The abundance of these lipids in higher-weight people makes breast cancer more prevalent and aggressive.” Her remarks highlight the complex relationship between the keto diet and breast cancer.
The research team fed mouse models high-fat diets and engineered others to develop hyperlipidemia an excess of lipids in the blood without showing other markers, such as high glucose or insulin levels.
The findings, published in Cancer and Metabolism, revealed that elevated lipids alone accelerated tumor growth. Interestingly, when the researchers reduced lipid levels while glucose and insulin remained high, tumor growth slowed significantly.
The researchers also noted that although a keto diet can promote weight loss often beneficial for cancer patients its high-fat content may trigger serious unintended effects, including faster tumor growth.
They concluded that lipids might also fuel tumor growth in higher-weight people who suffer from other cancers, such as ovarian or colorectal cancer.
–IANS
