We all love carbs, there's no doubting that.

We all get to a point, however, when we decide to give them up for the sake of cutting a few pounds. Cutting them out may have better benefits than simply getting that summer body, though.

Pablo Kelly, who was diagnosed with stage four glioblastoma multiforme, a terminal brain tumour, in 2014, believes that him giving up carbohydrates is the key to him still being alive two years later.

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Credit: SWNS

The 27-year-old refused the traditional treatment of chemotherapy, choosing instead to cut out carbs and switch to a diet high in fruit and vegetables.

"It's all quackery in the eyes of modern medicine but it's clearly helping because I'm still alive," Kelly said. "To my knowledge, I'm the only person with this type of brain tumour that isn't having therapy or surgery and is still alive today."

Since January last year, CT scans have shown no growth in the 27-year-old's tumour, as in theory, his ketogenic diet reduces the intake of carbs, starving the tumour of fuel it needs and stabilising it.

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The NHS doesn't recommend the diet, as there's no scientific evidence that proves it has a profound effect on cancer survival.

Kelly said: "The doctors said the only option they could give me was chemotherapy.

"The survival statistics for people my age were about three percent and that's for a maximum of 15 months with chemotherapy.

"Without it, based on my health and age, they gave me six to nine months."

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Credit: SWNS



The lad, from Devon, has clearly surpassed all expectations without the offered treatment, and so he believes he can carry on doing it to keep surviving, and hopefully shrink the tumour.

"The fact it will be two years in August since I was diagnosed with a cancer I was told I would not survive for months with is ridiculous really," he said. "I did all research and I knew there were other options for me that could help.

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"I was awake til 4am every night trying to find something that could cure it.

"This brain tumour is trying to kill me right now. This diet involves a lot of work, but it's a matter of life and death for me.

"The next step is to try and shrink it."

What a lad; good on him.

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Words by Mark McGowan