Most people think of cancer as a sudden, mysterious enemy that strikes without warning. But cancer often represents a failed healing process: a biological attempt at repair that went off track.
When tissues are injured or stressed by chronic inflammation, toxins, radiation, poor metabolism, or hormonal imbalance, the body tries to regenerate. Cells divide, repair, and restore normal function. But when energy metabolism is impaired (too little oxygen, too much reliance on glycolysis, and damaged mitochondria), the repair process can derail.
Metabolism is central.
Healthy cells rely on oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) in the mitochondria, where oxygen + glucose = efficient energy (ATP). This keeps the body’s repair precise, coordinated, and limited to what’s needed.
But under chronic stress (nutritional deficits, toxins, hypoxia, or hormonal imbalance) cells shift to aerobic glycolysis (fermentation), even when oxygen is available. This backup pathway (the Warburg Effect) produces less energy and more lactic acid, which further disrupts the tissue environment.The body’s attempt at healing is misdirected. It only has energy for growth and not complete differentiation.
- Inflammation → immune cells flood the area to clean up debris.
- Cell proliferation → new cells are made to replace damaged ones.
- Differentiation and resolution → those cells specialize, integrate, and repair is complete.
In a healthy state, this cycle ends in restoration. But under metabolic dysfunction, the repair process stalls between steps 2 and 3: cells proliferate, but never fully differentiate or “finish” healing. Instead of orderly renewal, cells get stuck in a state of continuous growth without proper differentiation.
Dr. Ray Peat argued that when a cell is “stimulated” by a stressor, it needs energy to respond. The stronger and more continuous the stimulus, the more energy the cell needs to continue responding.
Cancer cells appear to be under intense stimulation and tend to consume oxygen at a high rate. This increases the energy requirements of the cell beyond the ability of the mitochondria to meet them, resulting in the production of lactate even when a normal amount of oxygen is present. Even when the cell is provided with glucose and oxygen, the tumor cells will continue to consume amino acids as fuel for growth.
Key Research:
The Warburg Effect (Otto Warburg, 1920s, Nobel Prize–winning research)
- Cancer cells prefer glycolysis (fermentation) even in the presence of oxygen.
- This is the same metabolic shift cells use during wound healing or under stress.
- When cells can’t return to oxidative metabolism, the repair process fails.
- Pavlides et al., 2009 (Cell Cycle): Showed cancer cells use surrounding fibroblasts to feed their glycolysis addiction—essentially “hijacking” nearby tissue for fuel.
Mitochondrial dysfunction
- Seyfried et al. (2012, Cancer as a Metabolic Disease) showed that impaired mitochondria drive this shift to glycolysis, fueling uncontrolled growth.
- Restoration of oxidative metabolism can suppress tumor activity.
Failed regeneration pathways
- Dvorak (1986, NEJM) famously called tumors “wounds that do not heal,” underscoring that cancer biology mirrors tissue repair—just without resolution.
- Pavlides et al., 2009 (Cell Cycle): Showed cancer cells use surrounding fibroblasts to feed their glycolysis addiction—essentially “hijacking” nearby tissue for fuel.
- Zhang et al., 2012 (Oncotarget): Restoration of mitochondrial respiration with dichloroacetate (DCA) can push cancer cells back toward normal oxidative metabolism.
- Bonnet et al., 2007 (Cancer Cell): DCA reversed the glycolytic state of cancer cells, inducing apoptosis (cell death) by reactivating mitochondria.
If cancer is a failed healing process, then true prevention and treatment must support:
- Cellular energy: Protect mitochondria, improve thyroid function, and provide adequate nutrients like B-vitamins, magnesium, calcium, potassium, and copper.
- Hormonal balance: Excess estrogen and cortisol promote chronic stress states; progesterone, pregnenolone, DHEA. and thyroid hormone can restore balance.
- Providing the right inputs: Avoid chronic irritation from seed oils, processed foods, and environmental toxins. Seed oils can both cause harmful stimulation and interfere with the cell’s ability to properly respond and heal.
- A pro-healing environment: Support circadian rhythm, optimize light exposure, restorative sleep, and emotional well-being.
Instead of viewing cancer as an invader, we can see it as the body’s desperate, yet misguided, effort to heal. When we nourish the metabolism and restore balance to the body, we give cells the tools to complete the healing process properly.
