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Ketogenic Diet Analysis

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The classic ketogenic diet is a high-fat diet developed in the 1920s to treat epilepsy by mimicking the biochemical changes associated with periods of limited food availability. The diet was originally composed of 80–90% fat, with carbohydrate and protein constituting the remainder of the intake. Energy is largely derived from the utilization of body fat and by fat delivered in the diet. These fats are converted to the ketone bodies β-hydroxybutyrate, acetoacetate, and acetone, which represent an alternative energy source to glucose. In comparison with glucose, ketone bodies have a higher inherent energy. Ketone bodies readily cross the blood–brain barrier either by simple diffusion (acetone) or with the aid of monocarboxylic transporters (β-hydroxybutyrate, …show more content…

At the end of one year, all tests will be repeated and subjects will be interviewed to determine how they felt on their diets, as well as whether they intend to continue with the assigned diet.
At the end of every two years for 10 years, participants will be contacted to determine whether they adhered to the assigned diet (and for how long), and asked to come back for CT scans and measurements of brain cancer (progress or regression). Any mortalities will also be recorded.
Conclusion
The goal of the ketogenic diet is to activate ketosis in the body—the state in which the body utilizes ketones for energy—which has the effect of reducing the glucose stores in the body. Since glucose is the primary fuel source for many cancers, including those of the brain, the elimination of this energy source could aid in the treatment of brain cancers in the early stages. While the mechanisms through which the ketogenic diet work remain unclear, previous studies have shown potential for its application not only for epilepsy, but for other neurological and metabolic illnesses. The consistent, long-term application of a modified ketogenic diet by people diagnosed with early-stage brain cancer may reduce the proliferation and presence of cancerous tumor cells in the brain and improve the likelihood of survival without decreasing the subject’s quality of

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