Unfortunately, anecdotes are not data, and although a patient can try anything they want, there is no way to know that such dietary changes are beneficial or potentially harmful for most patients without doing a randomized controlled trial and hoping for strong adherence from the participants.
It's why I referenced the metabolic pathways derived from data backed research, linked to a data driven study, and used language like "we had significant success with our loved one" and "if you want something that you can do to try".
Honestly this reads like an "aHCkTualLy!1!" from someone without experience of having a loved one suffering from a cancer diagnosis.
Perhaps you've yet to realize but shallow skepticism against every idea is also distinct from data.
I have had a family member die of pancreatic cancer before age 60. It is, of course, terrible beyond belief. I'm not sure what you mean by "SOP" in this context. Referencing a bio-plausible mechanism is not actually clinically meaningful. It can provide a direction for study, but does not replace an actual clinical trial. As I said, "a patient can try anything they want".
But since we don't actually know whether such a recommendation will harm or help any individual patient, no one should be taking this recommendation as advice, and at the very least you should not be "highly recommending" specific dietary changes to people based on one anecdotal experience.
I appreciated your comment, and strongly believe that diet and lifestyle changes are badly ignored when it comes to treating all kinds of diseases, in large part because of the difficulty of getting people to follow through. To be fair, if you're a dementia or cancer patient, making intense lifestyle changes is much harder than pills or surgery.
Anyway, my point is, don't worry too much about the ignorant "but actually" replies here. There's probably been thousands of people who've read your comments and only two felt the need to make these retorts. The others most likely in the majority felt your comment had merit.
I dug a lot into "starving cancer" while we tried to save our dog from an aggressive sarcoma. I can't find his name off hand but I recall reading about a researcher who used a ketogenic diet to keep glucose low, and then occasionally gave drugs to "hammer" the cancer by quickly and temporarily depleting glutamine as well.
Sure, and the body makes its own glucose. The only way to deplete that is prolonged fasting.
If you‘re specifically aiming for low glutamine, going vegan won’t cut it though, depending on what foods you leave in. Soy is high in it. Eg a glass of milk is lower glutamine than a serving of tofu.
Unfortunately, anecdotes are not data, and although a patient can try anything they want, there is no way to know that such dietary changes are beneficial or potentially harmful for most patients without doing a randomized controlled trial and hoping for strong adherence from the participants.
> anecdotes are not data
It's 2026, this is SOP.
It's why I referenced the metabolic pathways derived from data backed research, linked to a data driven study, and used language like "we had significant success with our loved one" and "if you want something that you can do to try".
Honestly this reads like an "aHCkTualLy!1!" from someone without experience of having a loved one suffering from a cancer diagnosis.
Perhaps you've yet to realize but shallow skepticism against every idea is also distinct from data.
While you chose make this comment without providing links or data to support your claim I will do the real work of finding even more data for you: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S000291652...
I have had a family member die of pancreatic cancer before age 60. It is, of course, terrible beyond belief. I'm not sure what you mean by "SOP" in this context. Referencing a bio-plausible mechanism is not actually clinically meaningful. It can provide a direction for study, but does not replace an actual clinical trial. As I said, "a patient can try anything they want".
But since we don't actually know whether such a recommendation will harm or help any individual patient, no one should be taking this recommendation as advice, and at the very least you should not be "highly recommending" specific dietary changes to people based on one anecdotal experience.
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I appreciated your comment, and strongly believe that diet and lifestyle changes are badly ignored when it comes to treating all kinds of diseases, in large part because of the difficulty of getting people to follow through. To be fair, if you're a dementia or cancer patient, making intense lifestyle changes is much harder than pills or surgery.
Anyway, my point is, don't worry too much about the ignorant "but actually" replies here. There's probably been thousands of people who've read your comments and only two felt the need to make these retorts. The others most likely in the majority felt your comment had merit.
1 reply →
Did Steve Jobs die from believing something similar (while skipping chemo)
I'm fuzzy on the details, but I think he also did wildly unhealthy things like only eating apples or almonds or somesuch.
We made sure to still cover all nutritional needs while following the diet.
This meant a diverse array of food sources, in sufficient amounts to meet micro and macro nutrient recommended daily values, that we cooked ourselves.
I dug a lot into "starving cancer" while we tried to save our dog from an aggressive sarcoma. I can't find his name off hand but I recall reading about a researcher who used a ketogenic diet to keep glucose low, and then occasionally gave drugs to "hammer" the cancer by quickly and temporarily depleting glutamine as well.
Isn’t glutamine also part of vegan diets? I don’t eat meat myself, but your assertion has me wondering about glutamine.
Yes, and your body requires it for things like muscle maintenance.
Also, sugar is essential to what makes you you, that is, the brain requires glucose to function.
The goal is to reduce excess intake of these things to reduce their availability for any cancer cells to use to grow and divide.
Sure, and the body makes its own glucose. The only way to deplete that is prolonged fasting.
If you‘re specifically aiming for low glutamine, going vegan won’t cut it though, depending on what foods you leave in. Soy is high in it. Eg a glass of milk is lower glutamine than a serving of tofu.
Do they maintain the same diet today?
Yes.
They slacked a bit some months following the surgery, and their blood markers started to drastically slip almost immediately.
Might be also worth noting that prior to all of this they were a staunch "antivegan midwestern farm boy" for 70 years.
Now, after witnessing the results, they are all in on the new dietary lifestyle change, and tell all their friends.
By any chance does this person live near Montrose CO and tend to the lawn at a church next to the Holiday Inn Express?