The finding, which stems from test-tube work and experiments with yeast and mice, is part of a broad effort to explore ways to reduce the collateral damage that chemotherapy typically produces.
Fasting makes normal cells tougher, providing a "magic shield", according to a study by a team led by Dr. Valter Longo at the University of Southern California and reported by USNews.com. The team is preparing to test the method on a small group of bladder cancer patients. The pilot clinical study is planned at the university's Norris Cancer Centre within six months.
Mice given a high dose of chemotherapy after fasting continued to thrive while the same dose killed half the normally fed mice and caused lasting weight and energy loss in the survivors.
In a story broadcast on Kansas television station KTKA, Longo stressed that fasting is not the same as malnourishment, when inadequate nutrients are taken in, and can easily be tolerated given progress in cancer care. The researcher and his colleagues concluded that short-term starvation does appear to guard healthy cells and allow cancer treatment to attack only diseased cells.
The finding was published in the March 31 online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
