The effect of the ketogenic diet on nutritional treatment in cancer patients
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v15i5.51129Keywords:
Ketogenic diet, Cancer, Nutritional therapy, Tumor metabolism, Oncology nutrition.Abstract
Objective: to analyze the effects of the ketogenic diet on the nutritional treatment of cancer patients. Methodology: this is a systematic literature review conducted according to PRISMA guidelines, with searches performed in the SciELO, PubMed, Virtual Health Library (VHL), and Google Scholar databases, including studies published between 2015 and 2025. Descriptors related to ketogenic diet and cancer were used, with predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results: a total of 15 studies were included in the final analysis. Findings indicated that the ketogenic diet is associated with reductions in blood glucose and insulin levels, improvements in metabolic profile, positive changes in body composition, and enhanced quality of life. However, the effects on tumor progression were heterogeneous across studies. Conclusion: the ketogenic diet shows potential as a complementary strategy in the nutritional treatment of cancer patients, mainly due to its metabolic modulation effects. However, its application should be individualized and supervised by healthcare professionals, and further studies are needed to strengthen evidence regarding its efficacy and safety.
References
Aromataris, E., & Munn, Z. (2020). JBI manual for evidence synthesis. Joanna Briggs Institute.
Dardis, F. L. M., Oliveira, L. C., & Bueno, D. R. (2023). Consequências da dieta cetogênica em pacientes com câncer. Research, Society and Development.
Hagihara, K., et al. (2020). A ketogenic diet for patients with advanced cancer: A clinical trial evaluating metabolic effects and safety. Nutrition and Cancer, 72(4), 1–9.
Instituto Nacional de Câncer. (2022). Estimativa 2022: incidência de câncer no Brasil. INCA.
Klement, R. J., & Champ, C. E. (2016). Ketogenic diets in cancer patients: A systematic review. Clinical Nutrition, 35(3), 515–527.
Klement, R. J. (2017). The emerging role of ketogenic diets in cancer treatment. Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care, 20(5), 377–382.
Klement, R. J., & Santos, E. O. (2019). Ketogenic diets for cancer: Emerging evidence. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 8(9).
Liberti, M. V., & Locasale, J. W. (2016). The Warburg effect: How does it benefit cancer cells? Trends in Biochemical Sciences, 41(3), 211–218.
Nebeling, L. C., et al. (2020). Metabolic therapy and cancer: Ketogenic strategies in oncology. Frontiers in Nutrition, 7, 1–12.
Oliveira, S. V. (2022). Dieta cetogênica no tratamento do câncer: Uma revisão sistemática (Trabalho de conclusão de curso). Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Goiás.
Page, M. J., et al. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ, 372, n71. https://www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.n71
Pavlova, N. N., & Thompson, C. B. (2016). The emerging hallmarks of cancer metabolism. Cell Metabolism, 23(1), 27–47.
Salido-Bueno, B., & Gil-Hernández, A. (2024). Effects of ketogenic diets on cancer-related variables: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutrition Reviews.
Snyder, H. (2019). Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 104, 333–339.
Risemberg, R. I. C., Wakin, M. & Shitsuka, R. (2026). A importância da metodologia científica no desenvolvimento de artigos científicos. Revista E-Acadêmica. 7(1), e0171675. https://doi.org/10.52076/eacad-v7i1.675. https://eacademica.org/eacademica/article/view/675.
Taftian, M., Beigrezai, S., Arabi, V., & Salehi-Abargouei, A. (2022). The effect of ketogenic diet on weight loss in adult patients with cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled clinical trials. Nutrition & Cancer, 74(4), 1222–1234.
Torraco, R. J. (2016). Writing integrative reviews of the literature: Methods and purposes. International Journal of Adult Vocational Education and Technology, 7(3), 62–70.
Weber, D. D., et al. (2019). Ketogenic diet in the treatment of cancer—Where do we stand? Molecular Metabolism, 33, 102–121.
Whittemore, R., & Knafl, K. (2016). The integrative review: Updated methodology. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 52(5), 546–553.
World Health Organization. (2023). Cancer. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cancer
Zhang, M., Zhang, Q., Huang, S., Lu, Y., & Peng, M. (2025). Impact of ketogenic diets on cancer patient outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Nutrition.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Gabriela Melo de Oliveira, Hellen Viviane Souza Serique, Mara Cristiane Ferreira da Silva
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
1) Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
2) Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
3) Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
