Feasibility and Biological Activity of a Ketogenic/Intermittent-Fasting Diet in Patients With Glioma
Karisa C. Schreck, Neurology July 7, 2021,
OBJECTIVE: To examine the feasibility, safety, systemic biological activity, and cerebral activity of a ketogenic dietary intervention in patients with glioma.
METHODS: 25 patients with biopsy-confirmed WHO Grade 2-4 astrocytoma with stable disease following adjuvant chemotherapy were enrolled in an 8-week GLioma Atkins-based Diet (GLAD). GLAD consisted of 2 fasting days (calories<20% calculated estimated needs) interleaved between 5 modified Atkins diet days (net carbohydrates≤20 gm/day) each week. The primary outcome was dietary adherence by food records. Markers of systemic and cerebral activity included weekly urine ketones, serum insulin, glucose, hemoglobin A1c, IGF-1, and MR spectroscopy at baseline and week 8.
RESULTS: 21 patients completed the study (84%). 80% of patients reached ≥40 mg/dL urine acetoacetate during the study. 48% of patients were adherent by food record. The diet was well-tolerated with two grade 3 adverse events (neutropenia, seizure). Measures of systemic activity including hemoglobin A1c, insulin, and fat body mass decreased significantly, while lean body mass increased. MR spectroscopy demonstrated increased ketone concentrations (β-hydroxybutyrate (bHB) and acetone (Ace)) in both lesional and contralateral brain, compared to baseline. Average ketonuria correlated with cerebral ketones in lesional (tumor) and contralateral brain (bHB Rs 0.52, p=0.05). Sub-group analysis of IDH-mutant glioma showed no differences in cerebral metabolites after controlling for ketonuria.
CONCLUSIONS: The GLAD dietary intervention, while demanding, produced meaningful ketonuria, and significant systemic and cerebral metabolic changes in participants. Ketonuria in participants correlated with cerebral ketone concentration and appear to be a better indicator of systemic activity than patient-reported food records.