Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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Hey guys, I need your help. My dad's cancer has reemerged once again, it's been many times now, I've lost count. I've tried in the past to get him to change his diet which is woefully high in carbohydrates from grains and such to a ketogenic paleo-type diet. You all know how hard it is to convince your family members though and thus far he hasn't done it. I feel like he might bite though if his doctor tells him to do it.

So, I need your help to find research, hard research, that he could take to his doctor that might convince his doctor to have him try it out. If you can think of anything else that might help as well, please share, including anyone that knows a paleo-oriented or savvy oncologist in the Seattle, WA area. Prayers are welcome too.

A bit of history on his cancer: He had a slow growing colon cancer, which he got removed. It came back, so they gave him a colonostomy, but it had already metastasized to his lungs apparently. Chemo has helped, and has stopped it for periods of time, he's gone on and off chemo for the last few years. He now has multiple small (<1inch) tumors in his lungs.

edited Jan 21 2012 at 4:32

asked Jan 10 2012 at 4:23

Drew
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Drew, Gary Taubes has an article in the current issue of Science magazine that looks at recent research being done on the connection between insulin and cancer. If you can get hold of the issue at your library (or if you can get behind the paywall), you might try looking up some of the researchers he interviews on PubMed. sciencemag.org/content/335/6064/… – Rose Jan 10 2012 at 5:00

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I don't have time at the moment to look myself, but here are the people he spoke with: Vuk Stambolic @ U of Toronto. Robert Weinberg @ MIT. Michael Pollak @ McGill University. W. Robert Bruce @ U of Toronto. Rudolf Kaaks (unknown). Lewis Cantley, Harvard Medical School. – Rose Jan 10 2012 at 5:05

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The calorically restricted ketogenic diet, an effective alternative therapy for malignant brain cance: biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1743-7075-4-5.pdf – Rose Jan 10 2012 at 6:14

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And the best link of all, right here to PaleoHacks (Zooko's list): paleohacks.com/questions/20342/… – Rose Jan 10 2012 at 6:17

He had a slow growing colon cancer, which he got removed. It came back, so they gave him a colonostomy, but it had already metastasized to his lungs apparently. Chemo has helped, and has stopped it for periods of time, he's gone on and off chemo for the last few years. – Drew Jan 21 2012 at 4:25

Rogue Nutritionist · Answer 1 · 2012-01-10 06:21:29Z UTC

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I wonder if he'd read Perfect Health Diet? It's very well researched with footnotes galore. It's written by scientists, and talks about a ketogenic version for a host of ailments, including cancer. I also think that although it's written to be credible to physicians and scientists, it's very readable for a layperson.

answered Jan 10 2012 at 6:21

Rogue Nutritionist
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PHD posts on anti-cancer diet: perfecthealthdiet.com/?p=4739 perfecthealthdiet.com/?p=4637 – Sue Jan 10 2012 at 10:05

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I'm a scientist as well, but that doesn't mean I'm qualified to write a book about nutrition. He's an astrophysicist and she's a molecular biologist. – Matt Jan 10 2012 at 13:16

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For me, being very much a non-scientist though, I think that even if nutrition is not a scientist's specialty, they have the training and ability to take that on in a way that is credible to the scientific community if they so choose... – Rogue Nutritionist Jan 10 2012 at 17:29

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Plenty of non-nutrition scientists know a lot more than plenty of nutrition scientists if they read enough. Look at Walter Willet he basically bases everything in epidemiology even when it is starkly contradicted by randomized controlled trials and all reason. And yet he would be regarded as more qualified to write a book about nutrition than Paul Jaminet who appears to have a very good grasp on it. Coming from a hard science like physics to soft science like nutrition (at least that's how it is treated most of the time) ought to make one more qualified as long as they have done their reading – Stabby Feb 25 2012 at 19:47

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I agree Stabby. Isn't this the reason why we are here on PH because most of the info we get from conventional nutritionist is not very good. The info in PHD has helped many people improve their health. – Wcc Kamal Stabby fan Feb 25 2012 at 20:05

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Jay · Answer 2 · 2012-01-11 00:28:52Z UTC

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What kind of cancer does he have? It works better for some cancers than for others. Look up Dr. Seyfried - he's the most prominent researcher on this right now.

edited Jan 11 2012 at 0:28

answered Jan 10 2012 at 5:30

Jay
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This is the best answer wrt ketogenic diet and cancer - low carb and high fat - coconut oil helps with ketogenesis. – mindmt Jan 10 2012 at 8:58

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That's what I was going to say depends on the cancer. – Sue Jan 10 2012 at 9:58

Some cancers can survive on glutamine. – Jay Jan 11 2012 at 0:29

Sean · Answer 3 · 2012-01-10 05:01:53Z UTC

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Well this in itself is not hard research, but it is compelling and could lead you closer to it http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1662484,00.html "Can a High-Fat Diet Beat Cancer?" Good luck, man.

answered Jan 10 2012 at 5:01

Sean
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Another article here: diabetesincontrol.com/… – Rose Jan 10 2012 at 5:14

These articles are classic. Cancer catabolizes your lean mass to use as fuel, if you starve the cancer cells of sugar they just get it from your muscles. We live in such a reductionist society people can't even do real science. – cliff Jan 10 2012 at 14:06

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I think many of us are aware of the woeful, even fatal flaws in science journalism, Cliff. Which brings up that I forgot to ask what type of cancer we're talking about. Some are responsive, some are not. The fact that some cancers can use gluconeogenesis to survive doesn't invalidate the concept and what successes there have been. You're painting with some broad strokes. – Sean Jan 10 2012 at 15:38

Daniel Kirsner · Answer 4 · 2012-01-10 05:56:26Z UTC

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Is his vitamin d status optimal?

answered Jan 10 2012 at 5:56

Daniel Kirsner
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And optimal for ccancer would be between 80-100 ng/ml from what I've been reading... – Dragonfly Jan 10 2012 at 15:19

Kyle · Answer 5 · 2012-01-10 05:19:54Z UTC

My closest uncle has stage 3 cancer. I gave him my copy of Mr. Wolfs book and recommended some things but in the end I'm not a doctor and he isn't willing to change. I've just tried to give good things to read and not be too forceful. You have a Smart approach on convincing the doctor! Maybe focus on him. Older people don't like to listen to younger people especially if they are related! Good luck.

anand srivastava · Answer 6 · 2012-01-10 06:20:31Z UTC

Give him the book Anti-Cancer. Its written by a doctor who had cancer, so would probably appeal to your father much more. It is not paleo, but educates avoiding the worst parts of the SAD. Hopefully seeing conflicting information, he might be forced to think hard. Then he might be able to openup more on the issues. The doctor is very much against Omega6, and is against meat because of this reason. If you tell him to eat organic grassfed meat, and show that it does not have more Omega6 he will be more convinced. The education will have to be slow. Most people cannot get the logic of Paleo in a sitting.

Eric · Answer 7 · 2012-01-10 16:14:50Z UTC

Other things to try:

Dairy Free
Eat natto
Vitamin D3

Coenzyme Q10:

http://www.cancertutor.com/Cancer/Q10.html

As a note I would go VLC and be dairy free if I was in the same situation. However that is just me. Not any hard evidence. I hope you find some.

My friend goes here for treatment:

http://www.dr-gonzalez.com/treatment.htm

Mercola interviewed Gonzales about his cancer work (7 part series):

http://youtu.be/kZ-diONXCZc

EDIT:

Also if he is on statins they lower your Coenzyme Q10 levels.

Also vegetable oils would be very bad.

coprophagous · Answer 8 · 2012-01-10 18:07:27Z UTC

DADs can be weird. My dad thinks my paleo diet is a psychosis. In other words the arthritis i have cured is in my mind. And then in his next sentance he shows me how awful his arthritic hands look all deformed with Rheumatoid arthritis. Sorry your dad has cancer, good luck at getting him to change anything. We all love our dads, we just cant change them and what is meant to be just will happen.

cliff · Answer 9 · 2012-01-10 13:58:18Z UTC

He doesn't have to go on some crazy restrictive ketogenic diet necessarily. Depending on what kind of cancer he has he could probably see some benefits by minimizing polyunsaturated fats to as low as possible. High dose aspirin or salycilic acid is also very good for cancer patients.

PiedroAla · Answer 10 · 2012-01-10 17:53:42Z UTC

when i listened to the Cancer World summit from Kevin Gianni. I saw most of the approaches are nealry vegan.some where completly vegan. others only had little or very little animal products. One expert David Getoof has the WAPF approach. Actually he is PricePotenger Foundation.

There is also an TED talk for Cancer and foods. Except Wild Salmon, the most known foods are vegetables. For sure grass fed and healthy fed animlas is better than farm meat. Maybe juicing and cleansing also work. Like Kevin Said listen to different experts and decide wise whats good.

If paleo works for you fine. It might not for a cancer person. I wish youz good luck.

James · Answer 11 · 2012-01-10 19:20:13Z UTC

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If you succeed, let us know what worked. My dad always had a problem with taking advice from "someone who's diapers he changed".

answered Jan 10 2012 at 19:20

James
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Help convince my dad with cancer to try a ketogenic diet.

11 Answers