Keto and chemo: a good combo to cut side effects?

In 10 seconds? Recent research shows evidence that a ketogenic diet may help reduce a dangerous side effect of chemotherapy called chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia, or CIT. This study unveils a cost-effective strategy to make life a little easier for chemotherapy patients.

What’s CIT? Let’s break down the term ‘thrombocytopenia’. Thrombocytes are more commonly referred to as platelets, which are cell fragments that are essential for blood clotting and wound repair. Thrombocytopenia means that the number of platelets in the blood is below healthy levels. So, CIT occurs when chemotherapy treatment causes a high number of platelet precursors (AKA the cells responsible for making platelets) to be killed off. About 1 in 10 patients treated with chemotherapy will develop CIT.