A new study by Van Andel Institute scientists suggest that the routes cancer cells use to process different nutrients deeply influence cell behavior. They discovered an alternate, or non-canonical, path by which cancer cells convert a ketone called β-hydroxybutyrate (β-OHB) into acetyl-CoA, an essential metabolic building block for fatty acids and cholesterol that supports cell proliferation. The findings, published today in the journal Nature Metabolism, could reshape how the relationship between diet and cancer is viewed.