Mark Bell's Power Project Thomas Seyfried on Cancer, Ketosis, Mitochondria & the Metabolic Theory of Disease
Mar 23, 2026
Thomas Seyfried, a professor studying the metabolic theory of disease and cancer, discusses mitochondrial dysfunction and nutritional ketosis. He covers how glucose and glutamine fuel tumors, the Glucose-Ketone Index, links between Western diet/obesity and cancer, exercise’s role in diverting fuels, and how ketosis can change treatment responses.
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Cancer Originates From Mitochondrial Dysfunction
- Cancer is a disease of dysregulated cell growth driven by mitochondrial dysfunction rather than primarily genetic mutations.
- Thomas Seyfried links loss of mitochondrial control to cells reverting to fermentation fueled by glucose and glutamine.
Tumors Depend On Glucose And Glutamine
- Tumor cells are locked into fermentation and depend on two fuels: glucose and glutamine.
- Healthy mitochondria let normal cells use ketones and fatty acids, creating metabolic competition that harms tumors.
Use Nutritional Ketosis Plus Drug Targeting
- Transition to nutritional ketosis and lower glucose to starve cancer cells while targeting glutamine with drugs like fenbendazole.
- Use the Glucose Ketone Index (GKI) to monitor ketosis and combine fasting, ketosis and targeted drugs for better outcomes.