News > Fasting diet with hormone therapy may help treat breast cancer

Fasting diet with hormone therapy may help treat breast cancer

Fasting-mimicking diet combined with hormone therapy has the potential to help treat breast cancer, according to a USC-led team of international scientists.

The fasting-mimicking diet reduces blood insulin, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) and leptin. In mice, these effects appear to increase the power of the cancer hormone drugs tamoxifen and fulvestrant and delay any resistance to them. Researchers say it is still too early to determine whether the effects will be confirmed in large-scale clinical trials.