New study looks at how diet can slow tumor growth

In recent years, there has been some evidence that dietary interventions can help to slow the growth of tumors. A new study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which analyzed two different diets in mice, reveals how those diets affect cancer cells, and offers an explanation for why restricting calories may slow tumor growth.

The study, published in the journal Nature, examined the effects of a calorically restricted diet and a ketogenic diet in mice with pancreatic tumors. While both diets reduced the amount of sugar available to tumors, the researchers found that only the calorically restricted diet reduced the availability of fatty acids, and this was linked to a slowdown in tumor growth. 

The findings do not suggest that cancer patients should try to follow either of these diets, the researchers say. Instead, they believe the findings warrant further study to determine how dietary interventions might be combined with existing or emerging drugs to help patients with cancer.