This article connects fasting insulin and breast cancer outcome; since
ketogenic and/or low carb diet reduces fasting insulin it makes sense that it
would be the best diet for breast cancer.

Fasting Insulin and Outcome in Early-Stage Breast Cancer: Results of a
Prospective Cohort Study


 Reference:
Goodwin, P.J., Ennis, M., Pritchard, K.I., et al., "Fasting Insulin and
Outcome in Early-Stage Breast Cancer: Results of a Prospective Cohort Study",
Journal of Clinical Oncology, 20(1), 2002, pages 42-51.
 Summary:

 PURPOSE: Insulin, a member of a family of growth factors that includes
insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I and IGF-II, exerts mitogenic effects on
normal and malignant breast epithelial cells, acting via insulin and IGF-I
receptors. Because of this and because of its recognized association with
obesity, an adverse prognostic factor in breast cancer, we examined the
prognostic associations of insulin in early-stage breast cancer.
 PATIENTS AND METHODS: A cohort of 512 women without known diabetes, who had
early-stage (T1 to T3, N0 to N1, and M0) breast cancer, was assembled and
observed prospectively. Information on traditional prognostic factors and
body size was collected, and fasting blood was obtained.
 RESULTS: Fasting insulin was associated with distant recurrence and death;
the hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for those in the highest
(> 51.9 pmol/L) versus the lowest ( 27.0 pmol/L) insulin quartile were 2.0
(95% CI, 1.2 to 3.3) and 3.1 (95% CI, 1.7 to 5.7), respectively. There was
some evidence to suggest that the association of insulin with breast cancer
outcomes may be nonlinear. Insulin was correlated with body mass index
(Spearman r = 0.59, P <.001), which, in turn, was associated with distant
recurrence and death (P <.001). In multivariate analyses that included
fasting insulin and available tumor- and treatment-related variables,
adjusted hazard ratios for the upper versus lower insulin quartile were 2.1
(95% CI, 1.2 to 3.6) and 3.3 (95% CI, 1.5 to 7.0) for distant recurrence and
death, respectively.

CONCLUSION: Fasting insulin level is associated with outcome in women with
early breast cancer. High levels of fasting insulin identify women with poor
outcomes in whom more effective treatment strategies should be explored.