Comparing the ketogenic diet with the Nutritarian diet to combat cancer, the Nutritarian diet is in the winner’s corner. There are two types of ketogenic diets: one consists of high-fat and low carbohydrate; the other is high protein with low carbohydrate. The high fat, low carb diet has been used for decades to treat drug-resistant epilepsy in children. Currently it is being touted as a potential cancer treatment, without significant evidence for its effectiveness. Regardless, these types of diets are not appropriate or optimal for promoting long-term health in the general population and have too many significant drawbacks.
Under normal circumstances, the brain uses glucose exclusively to produce energy. However, when carbohydrates, the supplier of glucose, is insufficient, the body goes into an emergency state, known as ketosis, whereby the brain uses ketones (derived from fat) as an alternative or emergency fuel source. These diets aims to keep the body in chronic ketosis.
Ketogenic diet for specific medical conditions
Although a ketogenic diet does appear helpful for treating drug-resistant epilepsy in children, the anticonvulsant pathway of this high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet remains unclear. Ketones are thought to affect neurotransmitter levels and ion channels in the brain, which could lead to a reduced likelihood of seizures. The reduction in glucose metabolism by neurons may also have an anticonvulsant effect.1, 2
Newer studies are testing a ketogenic diet in patients with cancers, brain tumors in particular. This method takes advantage of a metabolic difference between cancerous cells and healthy cells. Most cancerous cells exclusively use glucose to produce energy, and they do not have the metabolic flexibility to use ketones when glucose is unavailable. The strategy is to feed the patient, but starve the tumor.3, 4
Also, keeping blood glucose lower would help to limit insulin and IGF-1 signaling, factors which drive cancer cell proliferation. A ketogenic diet has impeded tumor growth in some animal studies, but human studies are still preliminary, and have not yet shown a benefit. 5-7
Proposed benefits of a ketogenic diet for general health:
Reduced glucose and insulin levels
An appetite-suppressing effect, which may help with weight loss8
Reduced production of reactive oxidative species; activation of Nrf2 leading to enhanced antioxidant defenses
Anti-inflammatory effects9
Inhibition of the mTOR pathway (reduced mTOR signaling is linked to longevity) and reduced IGF-1 to IGFBP-3 ratio10-12
These benefits are not specific to a state of ketosis; they are also associated with whole plant food consumption.
Nutritarian Diet offers more benefits:
A high-nutrient, low-glycemic diet, such as the Nutritarian diet whose foundation is vegetables rather than fat, produce these same benefits, while delivering a greater fiber, micronutrient, and phytochemical load, plus greater nutritional variety.
Using beans and nuts as major calorie sources keeps the overall glycemic load of the diet low while maintaining a high fiber intake.13, 14
Consumption of salads, beans, and nuts have been associated with satiety and reduced appetite, leading to lower calorie intake.15-17 Subjects on a Nutritarian diet reported a reduction in the uncomfortable symptoms associated with hunger.18
Protection from oxidative damage has been observed following the consumption of whole plant foods, such as berries, nuts, and tomatoes.19-21 Carotenoids from green and orange vegetables and tomatoes act primarily as free radical scavengers in the body, preventing DNA damage.22, 23
Foods shown to activate the Nrf2 transcription factor include garlic, berries, cruciferous vegetables, pomegranate, and tomato.24, 25
Flavonoids found in berries and other plant foods are one type out of many different phytochemicals with anti-inflammatory effects.26, 27
Offers the same inhibition of mTOR (reduced mTOR signaling is linked to longevity), achieved by reducing protein intake (the amino acid leucine in particular) and insulin and IGF-1 signaling.28, 29
Ketogenic diet restricts health-promoting foods and nutritional variety
“Ketogenic” refers to the body’s response to the low carbohydrate content; it does not define which foods are used to achieve this outcome. Of course, a ketogenic diet that included more leafy green vegetables, nuts, and avocado would be more healthful than one that included more butter, cheese, and oil. However, a diet of coconut oil, grass-fed butter, avocado, egg yolks and greens is still not in the same league as a Nutritarian diet for health promotion and longevity.
The very low carbohydrate content of a ketogenic diet restricts important fiber-rich, anti-cancer foods such as beans, berries, and orange vegetables, unnecessarily limiting nutritional variety and phytochemical richness – phytochemicals that have anti-infection, anti-cancer and cardioprotective effects and also build up our immune defenses. The protective phytochemcials and antioxidants in the rainbow of produce have more powerful longevity-promoting effects than simply being in ketosis.
The restriction of beans, a rich source of resistant starch and fiber, makes it more difficult to establish a favorable microbiome (the collection of microbes or microorganisms that inhabit an environment—here the human body.) In addition to their prebiotic effect, fermentation of fiber and resistant starch from beans produces short-chain fatty acids which help to prevent colon cancer.30, 31
Beans are a food with a broad spectrum of longevity-promoting benefits, including low glycemic load and cholesterol and blood pressure-lowering properties.13, 32-34 The exclusion of beans in favor of nutrient-poor oils and dairy fat is indefensible. Chronic ketosis itself is stressful on the body, increasing acid production,35 which can damage the kidneys and may even promote specific cancers.36
Higher-protein ketogenic diets –same risks as other high-protein diets
The traditional high-fat ketogenic diet does have the advantage of limiting animal protein, but it is almost impossible to live on oils, nuts and seeds and animal fat without consuming animal protein along with it. Even high-fat, ketogenic diets are still too high in animal protein. Remember plant proteins sources do not drive up IGF-1 into the danger zone as do animal proteins. This combination of animal protein, saturated fat and higher IGF-1 is strongly linked to cancer risk.37-43
In addition to excluding more healthful calorie sources, such as berries, squash, and beans, ketogenic diets create constipation and bad breath and raise the risk of kidney damage.44 High-animal protein, low-carbohydrate diets have been linked to increased risk of death from cancer, cardiovascular disease, and all causes.37, 45, 46 Plus this chronic mild acidosis, along with the induced potassium deficiency from this low plant-produce diet, can negatively affect insulin sensitivity, muscle mass, and bone density.47-52
There have been many large, prospective studies all coming to the same conclusion that high meat intake is linked to greater mortality risk.53 Studies have shown pro-inflammatory effects of carnitine, choline and arachidonic acid, pro-oxidant effects of heme iron, along with the other dangers from the IGF-raising effects of animal protein.54-62
A meat-heavy diet also exposes us to carcinogens such as heterocyclic amines in cooked meats.63-66 Like other diets that rely on large consumption of animal products, a ketogenic diet is linked to elevated LDL and triglyceride levels.67, 68
Ketogenic diets are just not supported by the evidence available and not shown to be safe long-term. This diet-style is lacking in the amount and variety of important anti-cancer phytochemicals. It contains too many empty calories from oil, and the more animal products the diet contains, the more unsafe it becomes. It may actually accelerate the risk of certain cancers and its acidity and lack of phytochemical diversity may shorten lifespan. In contrast, a Nutritarian diet is associated with dramatic improvements in cardiovascular risk factors69 and contains a portfolio of plant foods, with broad-spectrum and documented anti-cancer benefits.
References
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Lutas A, Yellen G: The ketogenic diet: metabolic influences on brain excitability and epilepsy.Trends Neurosci 2013;36:32-40.
Chen X, Qian Y, Wu S: The Warburg effect: evolving interpretations of an established concept.Free Radic Biol Med 2015;79:253-263.
Allen BG, Bhatia SK, Anderson CM, et al: Ketogenic diets as an adjuvant cancer therapy: History and potential mechanism.Redox Biol 2014;2C:963-970.
Klement RJ, Kammerer U: Is there a role for carbohydrate restriction in the treatment and prevention of cancer?Nutr Metab (Lond) 2011;8:75.
Lv M, Zhu X, Wang H, et al: Roles of caloric restriction, ketogenic diet and intermittent fasting during initiation, progression and metastasis of cancer in animal models: a systematic review and meta-analysis.PLoS One 2014;9:e115147.
Varshneya K, Carico C, Ortega A, et al: The Efficacy of Ketogenic Diet and Associated Hypoglycemia as an Adjuvant Therapy for High-Grade Gliomas: A Review of the Literature.Cureus 2015;7:e251.
Gibson AA, Seimon RV, Lee CM, et al: Do ketogenic diets really suppress appetite? A systematic review and meta-analysis.Obes Rev 2015;16:64-76.
Youm YH, Nguyen KY, Grant RW, et al: The ketone metabolite beta-hydroxybutyrate blocks NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated inflammatory disease.Nat Med 2015;21:263-269.
Paoli A: Ketogenic diet for obesity: friend or foe?Int J Environ Res Public Health 2014;11:2092-2107.
McDaniel SS, Rensing NR, Thio LL, et al: The ketogenic diet inhibits the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway.Epilepsia 2011;52:e7-11.
Freedland SJ, Mavropoulos J, Wang A, et al: Carbohydrate restriction, prostate cancer growth, and the insulin-like growth factor axis.Prostate 2008;68:11-19.
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Jenkins DJ, Kendall CW, Banach MS, et al: Nuts as a replacement for carbohydrates in the diabetic diet.Diabetes Care 2011;34:1706-1711.
Roe LS, Meengs JS, Rolls BJ: Salad and satiety. The effect of timing of salad consumption on meal energy intake.Appetite 2012;58:242-248.
Mattes RD, Dreher ML: Nuts and healthy body weight maintenance mechanisms.Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 2010;19:137-141.
Mollard RC, Wong CL, Luhovyy BL, et al: First and second meal effects of pulses on blood glucose, appetite, and food intake at a later meal.Appl Physiol Nutr Metab 2011;36:634-642.
Fuhrman J, Sarter B, Glaser D, et al: Changing perceptions of hunger on a high nutrient density diet.Nutr J 2010;9:51.
Basu A, Lyons TJ: Strawberries, Blueberries, and Cranberries in the Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Perspectives.Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemis ry 2011.
Hadley CW, Clinton SK, Schwartz SJ: The consumption of processed tomato products enhances plasma lycopene concentrations in association with a reduced lipoprotein sensitivity to oxidative damage.J Nutr 2003;133:727-732.
Jenkins DJ, Kendall CW, Marchie A, et al: Almonds reduce biomarkers of lipid peroxidation in older hyperlipidemic subjects.J Nutr 2008;138:908-913.
Higdon J: Carotenoids. In An Evidence-Based Approach to Dietary Phytochemicals. 2006: 47-61
Krinsky NI, Johnson EJ: Carotenoid actions and their relation to health and disease.Mol Aspects Med 2005;26:459-516.
Stefanson AL, Bakovic M: Dietary regulation of Keap1/Nrf2/ARE pathway: focus on plant-derived compounds and trace minerals.Nutrients 2014;6:3777-3801.
Cimino F, Speciale A, Anwar S, et al: Anthocyanins protect human endothelial cells from mild hyperoxia damage through modulation of Nrf2 pathway.Genes Nutr 2013;8:391-399.
Gonzalez R, Ballester I, Lopez-Posadas R, et al: Effects of flavonoids and other polyphenols on inflammation.Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 2011;51:331-362.
Zakkar M, Van der Heiden K, Luong le A, et al: Activation of Nrf2 in endothelial cells protects arteries from exhibiting a proinflammatory state.Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2009;29:1851-1857.
Avruch J, Long X, Ortiz-Vega S, et al: Amino acid regulation of TOR complex 1.Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2009;296:E592-602.
Scharlau D, Borowicki A, Habermann N, et al: Mechanisms of primary cancer prevention by butyrate and other products formed during gut flora-mediated fermentation of dietary fibre.Mutat Res 2009;682:39-53.
Hamer HM, Jonkers D, Venema K, et al: Review article: the role of butyrate on colonic function.Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2008;27:104-119.
Papanikolaou Y, Fulgoni VL, 3rd: Bean consumption is associated with greater nutrient intake, reduced systolic blood pressure, lower body weight, and a smaller waist circumference in adults: results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2002.J Am Coll Nutr 2008;27:569-576.
Darmadi-Blackberry I, Wahlqvist ML, Kouris-Blazos A, et al: Legumes: the most important dietary predictor of survival in older people of different ethnicities.Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 2004;13:217-220.
Bazzano LA, Thompson AM, Tees MT, et al: Non-soy legume consumption lowers cholesterol levels: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Nutrition, metabolism, and cardiovascular diseases : NMCD 2011;21:94-103.
Yancy WS, Jr., Olsen MK, Dudley T, et al: Acid-base analysis of individuals following two weight loss diets.Eur J Clin Nutr 2007;61:1416-1422.
Robey IF: Examining the relationship between diet-induced acidosis and cancer.Nutr Metab (Lond) 2012;9:72.
Levine ME, Suarez JA, Brandhorst S, et al: Low Protein Intake Is Associated with a Major Reduction in IGF-1, Cancer, and Overall Mortality in the 65 and Younger but Not Older Population.Cell Metab 2014;19:407-417.
Rowlands MA, Gunnell D, Harris R, et al: Circulating insulin-like growth factor peptides and prostate cancer risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Int J Cancer 2009;124:2416-2429.
Key TJ: Diet, insulin-like growth factor-1 and cancer risk.Proc Nutr Soc 2011:1-4.
Key TJ, Appleby PN, Reeves GK, et al: Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1), IGF binding protein 3 (IGFBP3), and breast cancer risk: pooled individual data analysis of 17 prospective studies.The lancet oncology 2010;11:530-542.
Sieri S, Chiodini P, Agnoli C, et al: Dietary Fat Intake and Development of Specific Breast Cancer Subtypes.J Natl Cancer Inst 2014.
Farvid MS, Cho E, Chen WY, et al: Premenopausal dietary fat in relation to pre- and post-menopausal breast cancer.Breast Cancer Res Treat 2014;145:255-265.
Boyd NF, Stone J, Vogt KN, et al: Dietary fat and breast cancer risk revisited: a meta-analysis of the published literature.Br J Cancer 2003;89:1672-1685.
Paoli A, Rubini A, Volek JS, et al: Beyond weight loss: a review of the therapeutic uses of very-low-carbohydrate (ketogenic) diets.Eur J Clin Nutr 2013;67:789-796.
Lagiou P, Sandin S, Lof M, et al: Low carbohydrate-high protein diet and incidence of cardiovascular diseases in Swedish women: prospective cohort study.BMJ 2012;344:e4026.
Lagiou P, Sandin S, Weiderpass E, et al: Low carbohydrate-high protein diet and mortality in a cohort of Swedish women.J Intern Med 2007;261:366-374.
Adeva MM, Souto G: Diet-induced metabolic acidosis.Clin Nutr 2011;30:416-421.
Chan R, Leung J, Woo J: Association Between Estimated Net Endogenous Acid Production and Subsequent Decline in Muscle Mass Over Four Years in Ambulatory Older Chinese People in Hong Kong: A Prospective Cohort Study.J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2015;70:905-911.
Zwart SR, Hargens AR, Smith SM: The ratio of animal protein intake to potassium intake is a predictor of bone resorption in space flight analogues and in ambulatory subjects.Am J Clin Nutr 2004;80:1058-1065.
Sellmeyer DE, Stone KL, Sebastian A, et al: A high ratio of dietary animal to vegetable protein increases the rate of bone loss and the risk of fracture in postmenopausal women. Study of Osteoporotic Fractures Research Group.Am J Clin Nutr 2001;73:118-122.
Frassetto LA, Todd KM, Morris RC, Jr., et al: Worldwide incidence of hip fracture in elderly women: relation to consumption of animal and vegetable foods.J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2000;55:M585-592.
Tucker KL, Hannan MT, Chen H, et al: Potassium, magnesium, and fruit and vegetable intakes are associated with greater bone mineral density in elderly men and women.Am J Clin Nutr 1999;69:727-736.
Wang X, Lin X, Ouyang YY, et al: Red and processed meat consumption and mortality: dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies.Public Health Nutr 2016;19:893-905.
Tang WH, Wang Z, Levison BS, et al: Intestinal microbial metabolism of phosphatidylcholine and cardiovascular risk.N Engl J Med 2013;368:1575-1584.
Wang Z, Klipfell E, Bennett BJ, et al: Gut flora metabolism of phosphatidylcholine promotes cardiovascular disease.Nature 2011;472:57-63.
Richman EL, Kenfield SA, Stampfer MJ, et al: Choline intake and risk of lethal prostate cancer: incidence and survival.Am J Clin Nutr 2012;96:855-863.
National Cancer Institute: Food Sources of Arachidonic Acid [http://appliedresearch.cancer.gov/diet/foodsources/fatty_acids/table4.html]
Wynder EL, Rose DP, Cohen LA: Diet and breast cancer in causation and therapy.Cancer 1986;58:1804-1813.
Makarem N, Chandran U, Bandera EV, et al: Dietary fat in breast cancer survival.Annu Rev Nutr 2013;33:319-348.
de Lorgeril M, Salen P: New insights into the health effects of dietary saturated and omega-6 and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.BMC Med 2012;10:50.
Brewer GJ: Iron and copper toxicity in diseases of aging, particularly atherosclerosis and Alzheimer's disease.Exp Biol Med 2007;232:323-335.
Brewer GJ: Risks of copper and iron toxicity during aging in humans.Chem Res Toxicol 2010;23:319-326.
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Lunn JC, Kuhnle G, Mai V, et al: The effect of haem in red and processed meat on the endogenous formation of N-nitroso compounds in the upper gastrointestinal tract.Carcinogenesis 2007;28:685-690.
Kuhnle GG, Story GW, Reda T, et al: Diet-induced endogenous formation of nitroso compounds in the GI tract.Free Radic Biol Med 2007;43:1040-1047.
Zheng W, Lee S-A: Well-Done Meat Intake, Heterocyclic Amine Exposure, and Cancer Risk.Nutr Cancer 2009;61:437-446.
Zamani GR, Mohammadi M, Ashrafi MR, et al: The effects of classic ketogenic diet on serum lipid profile in children with refractory seizures.Acta Neurol Belg 2016.
Guzel O, Yilmaz U, Uysal U, et al: The effect of olive oil-based ketogenic diet on serum lipid levels in epileptic children.Neurol Sci 2016;37:465-470.
Fuhrman J, Singer M: Improved Cardiovascular Parameter With a Nutrient-Dense, Plant-Rich Diet-Style: A Patient Survey With Illustrative Cases.Am J Lifestyle Med 2015.
Joel Fuhrman, M.D. is a board-certified family physician, seven-time New York Times bestselling author and internationally recognized expert on nutrition and natural healing, who specializes in preventing and reversing disease through nutritional methods. Dr. Fuhrman coined the term “Nutritarian” to describe his longevity-promoting, nutrient dense, plant-rich eating style.
For over 30 years, Dr. Fuhrman has shown that it is possible to achieve sustainable weight loss and reverse heart disease, diabetes and many other illnesses using smart nutrition. In his medical practice, and through his books and PBS television specials, he continues to bring this life-saving message to hundreds of thousands of people around the world.
Why a Nutritarian Diet is Superior to the Ketogenic Diet in the Fight Against Cancer
August 04, 2016 by Joel Fuhrman, MD
Comparing the ketogenic diet with the Nutritarian diet to combat cancer, the Nutritarian diet is in the winner’s corner. There are two types of ketogenic diets: one consists of high-fat and low carbohydrate; the other is high protein with low carbohydrate. The high fat, low carb diet has been used for decades to treat drug-resistant epilepsy in children. Currently it is being touted as a potential cancer treatment, without significant evidence for its effectiveness. Regardless, these types of diets are not appropriate or optimal for promoting long-term health in the general population and have too many significant drawbacks.
Under normal circumstances, the brain uses glucose exclusively to produce energy. However, when carbohydrates, the supplier of glucose, is insufficient, the body goes into an emergency state, known as ketosis, whereby the brain uses ketones (derived from fat) as an alternative or emergency fuel source. These diets aims to keep the body in chronic ketosis.
Ketogenic diet for specific medical conditions
Although a ketogenic diet does appear helpful for treating drug-resistant epilepsy in children, the anticonvulsant pathway of this high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet remains unclear. Ketones are thought to affect neurotransmitter levels and ion channels in the brain, which could lead to a reduced likelihood of seizures. The reduction in glucose metabolism by neurons may also have an anticonvulsant effect.1, 2
Newer studies are testing a ketogenic diet in patients with cancers, brain tumors in particular. This method takes advantage of a metabolic difference between cancerous cells and healthy cells. Most cancerous cells exclusively use glucose to produce energy, and they do not have the metabolic flexibility to use ketones when glucose is unavailable. The strategy is to feed the patient, but starve the tumor.3, 4
Also, keeping blood glucose lower would help to limit insulin and IGF-1 signaling, factors which drive cancer cell proliferation. A ketogenic diet has impeded tumor growth in some animal studies, but human studies are still preliminary, and have not yet shown a benefit. 5-7
Proposed benefits of a ketogenic diet for general health:
These benefits are not specific to a state of ketosis; they are also associated with whole plant food consumption.
Nutritarian Diet offers more benefits:
A high-nutrient, low-glycemic diet, such as the Nutritarian diet whose foundation is vegetables rather than fat, produce these same benefits, while delivering a greater fiber, micronutrient, and phytochemical load, plus greater nutritional variety.
Ketogenic diet restricts health-promoting foods and nutritional variety
“Ketogenic” refers to the body’s response to the low carbohydrate content; it does not define which foods are used to achieve this outcome. Of course, a ketogenic diet that included more leafy green vegetables, nuts, and avocado would be more healthful than one that included more butter, cheese, and oil. However, a diet of coconut oil, grass-fed butter, avocado, egg yolks and greens is still not in the same league as a Nutritarian diet for health promotion and longevity.
The very low carbohydrate content of a ketogenic diet restricts important fiber-rich, anti-cancer foods such as beans, berries, and orange vegetables, unnecessarily limiting nutritional variety and phytochemical richness – phytochemicals that have anti-infection, anti-cancer and cardioprotective effects and also build up our immune defenses. The protective phytochemcials and antioxidants in the rainbow of produce have more powerful longevity-promoting effects than simply being in ketosis.
The restriction of beans, a rich source of resistant starch and fiber, makes it more difficult to establish a favorable microbiome (the collection of microbes or microorganisms that inhabit an environment—here the human body.) In addition to their prebiotic effect, fermentation of fiber and resistant starch from beans produces short-chain fatty acids which help to prevent colon cancer.30, 31
Beans are a food with a broad spectrum of longevity-promoting benefits, including low glycemic load and cholesterol and blood pressure-lowering properties.13, 32-34 The exclusion of beans in favor of nutrient-poor oils and dairy fat is indefensible. Chronic ketosis itself is stressful on the body, increasing acid production,35 which can damage the kidneys and may even promote specific cancers.36
Higher-protein ketogenic diets –same risks as other high-protein diets
The traditional high-fat ketogenic diet does have the advantage of limiting animal protein, but it is almost impossible to live on oils, nuts and seeds and animal fat without consuming animal protein along with it. Even high-fat, ketogenic diets are still too high in animal protein. Remember plant proteins sources do not drive up IGF-1 into the danger zone as do animal proteins. This combination of animal protein, saturated fat and higher IGF-1 is strongly linked to cancer risk.37-43
In addition to excluding more healthful calorie sources, such as berries, squash, and beans, ketogenic diets create constipation and bad breath and raise the risk of kidney damage.44 High-animal protein, low-carbohydrate diets have been linked to increased risk of death from cancer, cardiovascular disease, and all causes.37, 45, 46 Plus this chronic mild acidosis, along with the induced potassium deficiency from this low plant-produce diet, can negatively affect insulin sensitivity, muscle mass, and bone density.47-52
There have been many large, prospective studies all coming to the same conclusion that high meat intake is linked to greater mortality risk.53 Studies have shown pro-inflammatory effects of carnitine, choline and arachidonic acid, pro-oxidant effects of heme iron, along with the other dangers from the IGF-raising effects of animal protein.54-62
A meat-heavy diet also exposes us to carcinogens such as heterocyclic amines in cooked meats.63-66 Like other diets that rely on large consumption of animal products, a ketogenic diet is linked to elevated LDL and triglyceride levels.67, 68
Ketogenic diets are just not supported by the evidence available and not shown to be safe long-term. This diet-style is lacking in the amount and variety of important anti-cancer phytochemicals. It contains too many empty calories from oil, and the more animal products the diet contains, the more unsafe it becomes. It may actually accelerate the risk of certain cancers and its acidity and lack of phytochemical diversity may shorten lifespan. In contrast, a Nutritarian diet is associated with dramatic improvements in cardiovascular risk factors69 and contains a portfolio of plant foods, with broad-spectrum and documented anti-cancer benefits.
Joel Fuhrman, M.D. is a board-certified family physician, seven-time New York Times bestselling author and internationally recognized expert on nutrition and natural healing, who specializes in preventing and reversing disease through nutritional methods. Dr. Fuhrman coined the term “Nutritarian” to describe his longevity-promoting, nutrient dense, plant-rich eating style.
For over 30 years, Dr. Fuhrman has shown that it is possible to achieve sustainable weight loss and reverse heart disease, diabetes and many other illnesses using smart nutrition. In his medical practice, and through his books and PBS television specials, he continues to bring this life-saving message to hundreds of thousands of people around the world.