Keto and Cancer Treatment in the Land of the Rising Sun

Video Transcript: Keto in the Land of the Rising Sun | Clip from Episode 1 of Eastern Medicine: Journey through ASIA

Yuka Muranaka: Two years ago, I was diagnosed with uterine cancer sarcoma, a very aggressive type of cancer. I decided to have surgery and have my uterus removed, but since the cancer was very aggressive, the doctor recommended that I have chemotherapy as well.

I took one round of chemotherapy, but it caused an allergic reaction, so I stopped after one round and took no more chemo. Chemotherapy was very painful, and I didn’t like it. I had to apologize to my body because I had put toxic poison into my body.

My family was very worried about me, and they wanted me to take more chemotherapy because they believe in that medicine. I declined all other forms of conventional treatments and medications. Then I decided to come to this Cancer Control Society convention to discover other ways. This was two years ago. I tried the macrobiotic diet, but it didn’t work. Then I began to eat a ketogenic diet with healthy meats, vegetables, and good oils. I have been doing this for the past 2 years, with no sugar and low salt.

Two years ago, I was diagnosed with uterine cancer sarcoma, a very aggressive type of cancer. I feel very strong now! I am very athletic naturally, and I really love sports and exercising, like aikido and like jogging. After 6 months on the ketogenic diet, my skin became vibrant, and my hair (which fell out from chemo) grew back. I’m very happy. My family now admits that I was right!

Ty Bollinger: You were right. That’s awesome. Well, that’s good, it’s a great story. Thank you for sharing your cancer story, and I’m so glad that you’re doing well. You look great. I can tell you’re healthy and I’m glad that your family now thinks you’re right, because clearly, you’ve done something right. So, thank you so much. Yuka utilized the ketogenic diet to treat her advanced cancer.

Dr. Tetsuo Muneta: Ketone bodies are made of fat. If you consume a lot of sugar or grains, ketone bodies will not be produced. But if you decrease sugar intake, and have a low-carbohydrate diet, ketone bodies will be produced in your body. On the ketogenic diet, your diet should consist of lots of good fats, meat, eggs, and cheese. Some examples of “good fats” are saturated fats from animal sources and coconut oil, which contain MCTs, which are medium-chain triglycerides.

These are appropriate fats for the ketogenic diet. The advantage of the ketogenic diet is that the energy source is not sugar, so it starves cancer cells, while at the same time, giving energy to normal cells. This is why the ketogenic diet works for cancer. The mitochondria are the “energy generators” for the cells in our body, and they can use sugar or fat for energy.

However, in cancer cells, we typically see damaged mitochondria and/or inactive mitochondria. As a result of damaged or inactive mitochondria in the cancer cells, they begin fermenting sugar, called glycolysis, and they are not able to utilize the ketone bodies for energy. Cancer cells cannot live without sugar to provide energy.

Thus, the ketogenic diet works by reducing sugar intake and starving the cancer cells to death. If I were diagnosed with cancer, I would utilize the ketogenic diet. I already eat a “loose” ketogenic diet, but then I would work on it even harder and be even more strict.