Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2025 Jan 30;14(1):24.
doi: 10.1007/s13668-025-00609-4.

Critical Review of Ketogenic Diet Throughout the Cancer Continuum for Neuroglioma: Insights from a Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) Perspective

Kristina D Thomopoulos-Titomihelakis  1 , Hillary Sachs  2 , Rayna McCann  3 , Qianhui Zhang  4 , Sydney Kurnit  5 , Genesis Codoni De Juan  5 , Amanda Rushing  6
Affiliations
Review

Critical Review of Ketogenic Diet Throughout the Cancer Continuum for Neuroglioma: Insights from a Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) Perspective

Kristina D Thomopoulos-Titomihelakis et al. Curr Nutr Rep. .

Erratum in

Abstract

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: A Ketogenic diet (KD; a diet comprised of 75% fat, 20% protein and 5% carbohydrates) has gained much popularity in recent years, especially regarding neurogliomas (or "gliomas"). This review critically assesses literature on the application of KD throughout the cancer continuum from a Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) perspective. RECENT FINDINGS: 2021 revised classification standards for Central Nervous System (CNS) tumors are available. Despite research on KD and CNS tumors increasing, the role and benefits of MNT to augment side effects of traditional treatment and KD throughout the cancer continuum remain unclear. Glioma cancer survivors may benefit from a KD. It is a challenging, yet feasible non-pharmacological adjuvant approach. More research is needed regarding KD for prevention and post-treatment of glioma. Standard guidelines regarding macronutrient composition of KD for glioma are warranted. The need and benefits of nutritional guidance provided by a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RD or RDNs) during adherence to KD are understated.

Keywords: Cancer survivorship; Glioma; Intermittent fasting; Ketogenic diet; Medical nutrition therapy; Neuroglioma.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Conflict of Interest: R.M is employed by Kate Farms. Although some authors work at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, they will not gain or lose financially through publication of this manuscript. Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent: This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

References

    1. Ashwell K, Restak R. The brain book: Development, function, disorder, health. 2nd ed. Buffalo: Firefly Books; 2019.
    1. Coble Voss A, Williams V, editors. Oncology Nutrition for Clinical Practice. 2nd ed. Chicago: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics; 2021.
    1. Byun YH, Park CK. Classification and Diagnosis of Adult Glioma: A Scoping Review. Brain Neurorehabil. 2022;15(3):e23. - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    1. Safdie F, Brandhorst S, Wei M, Wang W, Lee C, Hwang S, et al. Fasting Enhances the Response of Glioma to Chemo- and Radiotherapy. Canoll P, ed. PLoS ONE. 2012;7(9):e44603.
    1. Chinna-Meyyappan A, Gomes FA, Koning E, Fabe J, Breda V, Brietzke E. Effects of the ketogenic diet on cognition: a systematic review. Nutr Neurosci. 2023;26(12):1258–78. - DOI - PubMed