A new Nature study led by Jessica E. S. Shay, MD, PhD, offers important insight into how ketogenic diets may affect cancer risk in the gastrointestinal tract. In mouse models genetically prone to intestinal tumors, the researchers found that a ketogenic diet increased tumor burden and shortened survival. Importantly, the effect was not driven by ketones themselves, but by dietary lipids and the way intestinal cells processed those fats.
The findings suggest that the impact of a ketogenic diet may depend on the tissue involved and on a person’s underlying cancer risk. That is especially relevant for patients with familial adenomatous polyposis, who face a high risk of small-intestinal tumors. Rather than focusing only on ketone production, the study points to fat metabolism as a key factor in intestinal tumor development.
The work also complements research from NUIP investigator Amandine Chaix, whose studies in breast cancer have similarly highlighted the role of lipids in fueling tumor growth in obesity-related settings. Together, these findings reinforce a growing theme in metabolic research: dietary fats may shape cancer biology in tissue-specific ways.
Dr. Shay is a hepatologist and Assistant Professor in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition at the University of Utah. Her clinical and research interests focus on metabolic liver disease, nutrition, and the role of metabolism in health and disease.