Why cutting off sugar and glutamine could be 'secret' to halting tumours

Dr Thomas Seyfried, a professor of biology and genetics at Boston College, has challenged conventional oncology by categorising cancer as a metabolic disease rather than a purely genetic occurrence.

Speaking on The Diary Of A CEO, Dr Seyfried argued that tumour progression is dictated by specific fuel sources, primarily glucose and glutamine.

His research suggests that managing these metabolic pathways could offer a non-toxic alternative to traditional treatments. 

"We published one of the first ever papers linking that the higher your blood sugar, the faster the tumour grows. The lower the blood sugar, the slower the tumour grows. Undeniable," he stated.

The two pillars of tumour growth

Dr Seyfried identifies two primary fuels that drive the rapid expansion of cancer cells:

Glucose: Sugar derived from carbohydrates and high-glycemic foods.

Glutamine: A common amino acid found in various proteins.

Starving the 'broken' mitochondria

The theory posits that cancer cells possess dysfunctional mitochondria, rendering them unable to process fats for energy.

By transitioning the body into nutritional ketosis through water-only fasting or low-carbohydrate diets, healthy cells adapt to burning ketones, whereas cancer cells are left without viable fuel.

"A solution to the cancer problem without toxicity is to simultaneously restrict the two fuels: glucose... and the amino acid glutamine," Dr Seyfried explained.

He believes this metabolic shift can selectively marginalise tumour cells over time. "They slowly start to die. The blood vessels disappear, and the body comes in and dissolves them," he added, noting that "Cancer is very preventable. It's just that we're doing everything we possibly can to induce it."