New study finds that head injury alters gut bacteria. This destroys the isolated systems thinking of traditional medicine. This is the gut-grain connection, but in REVERSE.
The ‘Glucose Ketone Index’ (GKI) was created to track the zone of metabolic management for brain tumor management
The GKI is a biomarker that refers to the molar ratio of circulating glucose over β-OHB, which is the major circulating ketone body.
We present evidence showing that the GKI can predict success for brain cancer management in humans and mice using metabolic therapies that lower blood glucose and elevate blood ketone levels
The zone of metabolic management is likely entered with GKI values between 1 and 2 for humans
Optimal management is predicted for values approaching 1.0, and blood glucose and ketone values should be measured 2–3 hours postprandial, twice a day if possible
Preclinical studies have demonstrated a clear linkage between GKI and therapeutic efficacy
the Warburg effect (aerobic fermentation of glucose) is a common metabolic malady expressed in nearly all neoplastic cells of these and other malignant tumors
Aerobic fermentation (Warburg effect) is necessary to compensate for the insufficiency of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation in the cells of most tumors
Normal brain cells gradually transition from the metabolism of glucose to the metabolism of ketone bodies (primarily β-hydroxybutyrate and acetoacetate) for energy when circulating glucose levels become limiting
Ketone bodies bypass the glycolytic pathway in the cytoplasm and are metabolized directly to acetyl CoA in the mitochondria
Tumor cells are less capable than normal cells in metabolizing ketone bodies for energy due to their mitochondrial defects
daily activities and emotional stress can cause blood glucose levels to vary making it difficult for some people to enter the predicted zone of metabolic management
a clear association of the GKI to the therapeutic action of calorie restriction against distal invasion, proliferation, and angiogenesis in the VM-M3 model of glioblastoma
The results suggest that GKI levels that approach 1.0 are therapeutic for managing brain tumor growth
Therapeutic efficacy of the KD or calorie restriction is greater with lower GKI values than with higher values
The glucose ketone index shown to predict dietary metabolic success. In humans with brain cancer-- the target is 1. The glucose and ketone (betahydroxybutyrate) should be measured 2-3 hours postprandial twice daily.