Researchers studied how a substance produced in the body during a ketogenic diet (a diet high in fat and very low in carbohydrates) affects breast cancer cells. During this type of diet, the body switches from using sugar as its main energy source to using fat, which leads to the production of natural molecules called ketone bodies. One of the main ketone bodies is β-hydroxybutyrate (βHb).

In this study, scientists tested how βHb affects different types of breast cells in the lab, including cancer cells and healthy breast cells. They looked at how it influences cell growth, survival, and the ability of cancer cells to multiply and spread.

The results showed that βHb had different effects depending on the type of cancer cell. In some breast cancer cells, it slowed down growth and reduced their ability to form new colonies, while in other cancer types the response was different. Importantly, healthy breast cells were not negatively affected by the treatment.

The findings suggest that βHb may play a role in influencing cancer cell behavior, but its effects are not the same for all tumors. This highlights the complexity of cancer biology and supports the idea that breast cancer treatment may need to be tailored to each patient individually.