R.I.P. Steve Jobs: and the ketogenic diet versus pancreatic cancer?The purpose of this article is to dig deeper into cancer: not just the pancreatic cancer that Jobs has, but cancer as a social problem. Something like 500,000 Americans die every year from cancer, and billions of dollars are spent every year to treat it, research it and try to stop it.Ive been blessed that my family does not have a major history of cancer: other than the typical prostate problems that affect practically all older men, weve died of other causes. Still, with cancer on the rise, combined with my own hypochondria, Ive always tried to be aware of what I can do to reduce the various cancers Ive seen take the lives of people I love, trust and have been friends with.The one area Ive come across over and over that seems to be at the forefront of medical treatment for cancer, but is ignored in the mainstream press, is the ketogenic (low carb, high fat) diet. The ketogenic diet, in simplest terms, is a diet that reduces blood glucose to zero or near zero by focusing on consuming very high fat and minimal protein. Blood glucose is basically sugar in the blood, one of the bodys energy sources to feed the brain. Its also the way that most humans power their brains, due to our high carbohydrate/protein and low fat diets we tend to follow. The other energy source for the brain is the ketone, which is energy that is synthesized by the body from body fat and fat that we consume in our diet. From the studies Ive read, it seems that glucose is a primary energy source for cancer cells allowing them to multiply and metastasize.For the body to produce ketones for brain energy, there has to be almost no glucose in the blood. When your body is free of blood glucose, it enters a metabolic mode called ketosis, which means it is taking apart fat youve eaten or fat stored on your body and turning that fat into energy (ketones, again). If youre a healthy adult (not obese, not suffering from diabetes, etc), your brain gets its energy from ketones when youre asleep, since you cant very well eat anything that turns into glucose then.My research into treating cancer with a ketogenic diet started with finding a small research study where a patient with a very deadly form of brain cancer was put on a ketogenic diet and the doctors discovered that they couldnt find a trace of cancer in her brain after it using a variety of medical imaging technologies. After they took the patient off the diet, within 10 weeks the cancer had returned. Their summation of their research is that the ketogenic diet may be one form of treatment for this type of brain cancer.What about Steve Jobs pancreatic cancer? Another study shows that fructose may be the ultimate fuel for making that cancer grow. As numerous doctors and dietitians I follow say that fructose in excess amounts can be deadly both for creating the path to diabetes as well as being a fuel for cancer its no surprise that other researchers also worry about fructose in cancer aggravation. Sad that one of the greatest fuels for the pancreatic cancer that killed Jobs is the primary energy you get from eating an apple.Because fructose can elevate blood glucose levels so quickly, its a wonder to me that so many doctors who treat cancer patients actually recommend a diet low in fat and high in carbohydrates! It amazes me thousands of doctors online tell their patients to eat less fat and more fruits, even with quite a bit of evidence that fruits and the fructose they contain may actually make the cancer worse.Many health foods also contain very high fructose: agave nectar, an industrially-created artificial sweetener is almost all fructose, and not healthy by any means. Honey is also almost entirely fructose. A watermelon? Practically all fructose.One of my favorite medical doctors online (who is not specifically a cancer researcher but has worked with hundreds of patients to battle modern day diseases), Dr. Kurt G. Harris, has said: I would advocate long term ketosis in those with neurodegenerative brains diseases like Alzheimer dementia and Parkinson disease, and a 10 day water fast followed by long term ketogenic diet is worth trying if you have cancer.In another post, Dr. Harris continues on the same idea: If I were diagnosed with cancer I would get on a ketogenic diet immediately. As much as 85% fat, 15% protein or maybe 80F/15P/5C. Get Vitamin D levels above 100 ng/dl no proof that is better but insurance against lab miscalibration.If youre a regular reader of Dr. Harris, hes not anti-carb at all, just anti-wheat and excessive fructose consumption, as well as having a great dislike for industrial cooking oils (canola, corn, soybean, etc), which are a proven path to excess inflammation in the body, and can create a breeding ground for cancers as well.The Holden Comprehensive Care Center at the University of Iowa is currently looking for research participants in a study. The title of their future study is Ketogenic Diet With Concurrent Chemoradiation for Pancreatic Cancer (KETOPAN) Ill definitely be monitoring their site and PubMed for any updates as to what the results offer.In 1995, a study of just two patients suffering from cancer was done by the University Hospitals of Cleveland, also putting the patients on the ketogenic diet. Their results: Within 7 days of initiating the ketogenic diet, blood glucose levels declined to low-normal levels and blood ketones were elevated twenty to thirty fold. Results of PET scans indicated a 21.8% average decrease in glucose uptake at the tumor site in both subjects. One patient exhibited significant clinical improvements in mood and new skill development during the study. She continued the ketogenic diet for an additional twelve months, remaining free of disease progression.Since 2007, some German cancer doctors and researchers have been putting cancer sufferers on a high-fat, low-carb, low/moderate protein diet the ketogenic diet and have had some great results: The good news is that for five patients who were able to endure three months of carb-free eating, the results were positive: the patients stayed alive, their physical condition stabilized or improved and their tumors slowed or stopped growing, or shrunk. These early findings have elicited very positive reactions and an increased interest from colleagues.