It is well-known that fasting, when done properly, can have numerous benefits. However, is it possible that fasting could actually work to prevent cancer?
New medical research has shown that fasting can slow the growth of breast cancer, melanoma skin cancers, glioma brain cancer and neuroblastoma, a cancer that forms in the nerve tissue, according to Dr. Mashhor Al-Hantoushi, who heads the Health and Therapeutic Affairs Department at the Health Ministry in Saudi Arabia.
Hantoushi also said that the benefits of fasting weren't limited to just slowing the growth of tumors but that it also helped combat the side effects of chemotherapy.
"Some cancer patients who tried fasting perceived fewer side effects from chemotherapy," he said, according to Arab News.
He further suggested that fasting could potentially be as effective as chemotherapy and just as helpful in combatting the spread of tumors.
Does this sound too good to be true? A bit skeptical?
Well, Hantoushi is definitely not crazy. Researchers at the University of Southern California have been studying the effects of fasting on tumors and have discovered that it can both slow the growth and spread of tumors. Hantoushi suggested that further research and study could even lead to an effective treatment plan through the use of fasting.
Although the study was done on mice, it revealed quite interesting results. Researchers observed that tumor cells responded to fasting by continuously growing and dividing, eventually destroying themselves. Normal cells enter a dormant state similar to hibernation when faced with the stress of fasting.
Hantoushi did point out that these studies were not conducted on humans. Further clinical trials on humans lasting several years would need to be conducted before concluding that fasting is effective in treating cancer on humans as well.
Read the original research article here .