A cancer researcher who's been keto for 6 years thinks our modern diets are an 'axis of illness' — here's what he eats instead

Business Insider France

David Harper, a cancer researcher and kinesiologist, has been on a high-fat ketogenic diet since 2013.

He says the sugar-free eating plan has helped him slim down even though he eats a lot of fat.

Harper has written a new book, "Biodiet," about how to follow the trendy keto diet in a healthy, science-backed way.

One of the problems with modern "Western" diets, he says, is that they tend to promote inflammation, obesity, and disease by relying too much on sugar and other carbohydrates.

Start the day off with a piece of toast, a bit of margarine and jam, and a glass of fresh orange juice? Definitely not, says the cancer researcher David Harper. 

The kinesiology professor hasn't eaten toast in more than six years: He started following a high-fat, low-carb ketogenic diet strategy in 2013, and he says he's never looked back. 

Harper says both he and his wife, Dale Drewery, rely on fat to power them through the day.

"I eat full-fat cream in everything," Harper told Business Insider, adding that he consumed lots of nuts and seeds, green beans, "organ meats" like liver, and up to a dozen eggs each week. 

The keto diet Harper follows is designed to force the body into a state of ketosis, in which it uses fat for energy and produces ketones, instead of relying on carbohydrates and turning them into glucose. (It's essentially the same switch our systems make when starving.) 

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The Keto Diet: Benefits beyond weight loss

Comments: This is not a fad and it's not just a proven way to lose weight or to assist in reducing/curing epileptic seizures. I've been following it for two years and I sleep better, I look better, I am fitter, stronger, more emotionally balanaced and with much more energy. The ketogenic diet may be the original diet of our paelolithic ancestors. It's only modern, urban living and the associated unnatural requirements of corporatism which has led us away from such logic. 

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Pamela Bofferding
Ready Nutrition 

Low-carb, higher fat/protein diets are nothing new in mainstream culture - chances are you've heard of the Atkins Diet or Protein Power or some other version of these weight loss plans. These diets are at their core high-fat, low-carb Keto Diets or KDs, so called because they put your body into a state where it runs on ketones, rather than glucose or glycogen (you can read more about the science behind the process here). But what you might not be aware of are the myriad medical studies that show how Keto Diets go far beyond weight loss. In all reality,the Keto Diet is common sense eating.

The following is a list of health issues and the way that the Keto Diet brings about positive effects in each of them. As always, speak to your doctor before beginning any new diet or exercise plan—I'm not a scientist or a doctor, but this list was compiled based on studies from the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health.

1. Keto Diet for a better brain: One of the most common issues people have with cutting carbohydrates from their diet is the "brain fog" that occurs in the first few days or weeks of a Keto Diet. Many times, people give up during this phase, but if you can hold out a little longer, there are many benefits including enhanced focus, clarity, and long-term neuroprotection. Several days into a Keto Diet there is a rise of ketones in the liver and an overall lowering of blood glucose levels. Fatty acids are better oxidized, leading to enhanced biogenesis, or the creation of brain cells. Synaptic energy (meaning the connections between existing brain cells) is increased and strengthened, while there is a decrease in oxidative stress (the process by which brain cells corrode and die). These findings are not speculative—they are based on human studies. Basically, your brain is running at its best when in a keto zone.
2. Keto Diet in Alzheimer's patients: Because of the neuroprotective properties of a KD, scientists believe there may be some benefit for Alzheimer's patients to adhere to a Keto Diet. Patients with certain mutations of the disease have shown improved cognitive functioning in double-blind studies. More research needs to be done to conclude whether all variations of the disease may benefit from a KD, but the research is promising.
3. Keto Diet to slow aging: General aging is caused by a gradual decline in neurons and neural circuit functions. We, of course, don't know how to stop this process, but research shows that altering the energy metabolism of the brain can slow this process. Rodent studies have conclusive evidence that a KD implemented in older rats leads to slower overall cell degradation and the results for humans is currently underway.
4. Keto Diet for Parkinson's Disease: Clinical studies are currently underway to determine the effects of a KD on Parkinson's sufferers, though an initial small study showed promising results.
5. Keto Diet for Epilepsy: There is now conclusive evidence that a KD reduces the frequency of seizures in epilepsy patients, particularly in children. A Keto Diet is the first or second line of defense against seizure along with anti-convulsant drugs. Many patients prefer a KD as the first treatment because of the side-effects that can occur with anti-convulsants. Children or others who have difficulty swallowing pills or remembering to take medication every day often choose a Keto Diet. As well, some children who had no response at all to oral medication showed excellent results with a KD.
6. Keto Diet on cancer cells: Of course there's no known cure for cancer at this point, but because cancer cells exhibit high metabolic rates, they are also the most sensitive to a lack of glucose fuel (this is known as the Warburg effect). Pioneering work in animals has shown that a KD greatly slows the rate of tumor growth. While clinical proof in humans is still underway, a pilot trial of 16 patients with highly metastatic cancer showed improved functioning and decreased insomnia in patients, indicating that there are benefits that need to be explored further.

The Keto Diet is also being considered in the treatment of migraine, autism, stroke, traumatic brain injury, psychiatric disorders, and many other diseases. I find it very easy to maintain a KD. All of these medical results are promising, plus, I'd be lying if I didn't admit that the main reason for me is that it keeps me thin. I'm very interested to see the results of further scientific research as they develop. 

See also: Ketogenic diet - a connection between mitochondria and diet