The idea that fasting may be a miracle cure for cancer has been widely promoted by controversial figures and has fueled public interest. This assumption is based on early scientific research on the potential beneficial effects of fasting, but which has never provided any evidence to resolve this thorny debate. In the absence of consensus, conflicting information proliferates. Here’s what the study actually says about it.
Fasting, an age-old practice rooted in various cultural and religious traditions, has recently attracted increased interest as a potential cancer treatment. This idea was bolstered by early research suggesting that fasting may have health benefits, including the prevention and treatment of cancer. But these scientific studies were followed by sensational claims from influencers and controversial figures, fueling popular fervor around the practice. The question, however, is thorny, because Some people with cancer go without food for days in hopes of curing or limiting the effects of the disease. An approach that is very poorly received by doctors and which can be dangerous. But then, what do the scientific articles say? We will see this in this article.
A study takes stock of existing scientific evidence: Does fasting help when you have cancer?
In a study done by Dr. Christian Motte, Chief Physician, Department of Gastroenterology, Sion Hospital and Dr. Sophie Sierra, Ph.D., Doctorate in Medical Sciences at Oxford UniversityWe read that fasting can have beneficial effects.
What does the study say?
Indeed, listing the various scientific studies on the benefits of fasting conducted over the decades, the authors note that “Intermittent deprivation of food alternating with periods of abundance has been shown to improve stress response and increase lifespan“. Then on page 5 of the study, these authors determine this time: “In oncology, cancer cells are targeted by genotoxic chemotherapy that induces the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). These drugs are believed to be selective for cancer cells, although they cause many side effects“Given that in mice, fasting”Increases resistance to oxidative stress and chemotherapy induced toxicity“, may have similar benefits in humans. But, this is not the conclusion that scientists give. Because the test was done only in animals.
Side effects of chemotherapy
After reading this study, one might be tempted to say that patients who fast before undergoing chemotherapy have fewer side effects. On page 7 of this study we can also read: “Patients who voluntarily fasted (48 hours to 72 hours) before and after chemotherapeutic treatment reported fewer side effects…they experienced fewer or fewer nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps (10 cases).However, the authors point out that fasting does not have a protective effect against the side effects of chemotherapy Not yet fully proven. Which suggests that here too, We do not know at this stage if fasting is actually the cause of this resistance Side effects of chemotherapy.
What to conclude?
At the end of the study, the authors explain: “Most studies are case series, of average or low quality, rarely controlled, and often of low level of evidence. Long-term assessments are either missing or imprecise“Clearly, we agree that fasting may be beneficial in some cases, according to decades of scientific studies, but the evidence is so inconsistent that it’s better to talk about it.”Placebo“What a real cure.
What are other scientific studies on fasting and cancer?
It should be noted that research on fasting in relation to cancer is still ongoing and the evidence is currently limited and often preliminary. However, some preliminary studies have shown promising results, However, further research is needed to confirm or refute these observations. Here are some examples:
Decreased tumor growth
Studies in animal models have suggested that intermittent or prolonged fasting can reduce tumor growth and cancer progression. These effects may be attributed to mechanisms such as depletion of glucose, which is essential for cancer cell growth. But to date, no tests have been conducted in humans to validate the effectiveness of such a practice.
Improved response to cancer treatment
Some research has suggested that fasting can increase the effectiveness of cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, As mentioned above in the study by doctors Sophie Ciero and Christian Motte. This can make cancer cells more sensitive to these treatments while protecting healthy cells from damage. Here again, tests in humans remain highly imprecise and therefore unreliable.
Modulation of metabolic pathways
Fasting can influence various metabolic pathways involved in cancer development and progression, such as the fasting signaling pathway. Insulin and IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1) as well as the mTOR pathway (mammalian target of rapamycin), both of which are involved in the regulation of cell growth and survival. This is also a point noted in a study by doctors Sophie Siero and Christian Motet. Except at the conclusion of the study of two researchers, we note that Fasting is not a cure for cancer. Because this has not yet been proven in humans.
So why do some people claim that fasting is a cure for cancer?
While many doctors explain that it can have the opposite effect, some naturopaths continue to say that it is a cure for cancer, forcing some patients to abstain from drugs and observe fasting which can worsen their condition and lead to their death. can . Naturopath Eric Gendon paid the costs: he was charged In the following 2023 Several deaths of participants During their water fasting courses for cancer people, According to AFP. In the same vein, there was also Thierry Casasnovas Convicted in March 2023 of unlawful assumption of medical duties and abuse of infirmity, still according to the press agency. Against all these excesses, some political actors have decided to tighten their tone in this direction.Naturopaths“
In an interview on January 31, Donatian Le Vaillant, the head miviludeswhich is a department of the Ministry of Home Affairs responsible for monitoring communal abuse, declared that promoting fasting as beneficial against cancer “leading to abandonment of treatment, hence loss of opportunity for the patient“. He would also say that such a speech”constitutes a criminal offence“. Clearly, it’s quite simple.”Conspiratorial speeches Some anti-drug naturopaths“
So isn’t fasting a cure for cancer?
If the 2016 Nobel Prize in Medicine, Yoshinori Ohsumi, recommended fasting, it was not to cure cancer, much less Alzheimer’s. For this doctor, in case of absence of nutrients for a good period of time, autophagy occurs. That is, cells remove unnecessary, defective or toxic components, and can be recycled to produce what is absolutely necessary and healthy for the body.. Simply put, autophagy is a metabolic process or cell “going to eat” Eats itself very healthily and fights infection. And so for certain pseudo-experts or naturopaths, when a subject does not eat, the cancer cells, lacking nutrients, eat each other and the disease gradually disappears. . However, according to doctors, this is not the case.
In an Inserm archive broadcast by AFP, we find that “Cancer cells have the ability to multiply endlessly and require enormous amounts of energy to do so. Most cancer cells… use much more sugar than healthy cells“. Which simply means that even in the absence of nutrients (fasting), cancer cells will adapt and multiply, this time drawing energy from other organisms, especially muscles and carbohydrates. What the body needs to survive.
So this may not be a boon for a cancer patient. If anything, it could weaken him even more and potentially kill him. Fasting as a cure for cancerInadvisable“And potentially fatal for a cancer patient, as Professor Bernard Schroer, INRAE Epidemiologist, coordinating the Nacre Research Network (Nutrition and Cancer), insists in an archive relayed by AFP.
True or False: Is fasting a cure for cancer?
We note that in relation to all these scientific arguments and evidence, fasting is a powerful ally for the cells of the body. but, Against cancer, this remedy is yet to be proven. Because scientifically, there is no consistent evidence that can validate such a practice.. If you have a GP, please seek all necessary advice before starting any fast for your cancer or specific illness.
You may also be interested in this :
⋙ Mannose: Here’s how this sugar can help fight cancer
⋙ Breast Cancer: Effective Chemo-Free Treatment for Older Women
⋙ According to scientists, cancer cells can die in the absence of sugar!
⋙ Breast cancer: this amazing French invention to fight metastasis
⋙ To remove cancer, researchers use a jackhammer
⋙ Cancer, dementia: Scientists are growing mini brains and mini hearts
