Why Most “Anti-Cancer” Diet Claims Fail Clinical Testing
You’ve likely seen the claims: “Sugar feeds cancer — eliminate carbs.” “Keto starves tumors.” “Plant-based diets reverse cancer.” “Fasting kills cancer cells.” These ideas sound intuitive. Some are supported by laboratory or animal studies. Yet when tested rigorously in humans, most anti-cancer diet claims fail to show meaningful clinical benefit . This article explains why, what diet can realistically do for cancer risk and outcomes, and how nutrition fits into a modern, evidence-informed cancer strategy. 1. Lab Success Doesn’t Translate to Human Reality Many diet-based cancer claims originate from: Cell culture experiments Mouse models Short-term metabolic interventions In these controlled environments, researchers can deprive cancer cells of glucose or nutrients abruptly. Humans, however, are complex systems with: Multiple organs and hormones Immune responses Gut microbiomes Tumors that evolve and adapt What slows cancer growth in a dish often has minimal impact in real patients. R...