New study sweetens connection between cancer and sugar

Cancer is not a curse – it is a lifestyle. As more studies continue to pile up, sugar and glucose levels provide fuel. Eliminate them.

A new study by scientists at The University of Texas at Dallas, have found that some types of cancers have more of a sweet tooth than others.

“It has been suspected that many cancer cells are heavily dependent on sugar as their energy supply, but it turns out that one specific type — squamous cell carcinoma — is remarkably more dependent,” said Dr. Jung-whan “Jay” Kim, assistant professor of biological sciences and senior author of the study published May 26 in the online journal Nature Communications.

Kim and his collaborators initially set out to investigate differences in metabolism between two major subtypes of non-small cell lung cancer — adenocarcinoma (ADC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SqCC). About one quarter of all lung cancers are SqCC, which has been difficult to treat with targeted therapies, Kim said.

The research team, which included a Dallas high school student who interned in Kim’s lab, first tapped into a large government database called The Cancer Genome Atlas, which maps information about 33 types of cancer gathered from more than 11,000 patients.

Based on that data, they found that a protein responsible for transporting glucose — a kind of sugar — into cells was present in significantly higher levels in lung SqCC than in lung ADC. The protein, called glucose transporter 1, or GLUT1, takes up glucose into cells, where the sugar provides a fundamental energy source and fuels cell metabolism. GLUT1 is also necessary for normal cell function, such as building cell membranes.

“Prior to this study, it was thought that the metabolic signatures of these two types of lung cancers would be similar, but we realized that they are very different,” Kim said. “These findings lend credence to the idea that cancer is not just one disease, but many diseases that have very different characteristics.”

With elevated GLUT1 implicated in SqCC’s appetite for sugar, the researchers looked for additional evidence by examining human lung tissue and isolated lung cancer cells, as well as animal models of the disease.

“We looked at this from several different experimental angles, and consistently, GLUT1 was highly active in the squamous subtype of cancer. Adenocarcinoma is much less dependent on sugar,” Kim said. “Our study is the first to show systematically that the metabolism of these two subtypes are indeed distinct and unique.”

The researchers also investigated the effect of a GLUT1 inhibitor in isolated lung cancer cells and mice with both types of non-small cell lung cancer.

“When we gave GLUT1 inhibitors to mice with lung cancer, the squamous cancer diminished, but not the adenocarcinoma,” Kim said. “There was not a complete eradication, but tumor growth slowed.

“Taken in total, our findings indicate that GLUT1 could be a potential target for new lines of drug therapy, especially for the squamous subtype of cancer.”

In addition to squamous cell lung cancer, the team found that GLUT1 levels were much higher in four other types of squamous cell cancer: head and neck, esophageal and cervical.

“These are very different organs and tissues in the body, but somehow squamous cell cancers have a very similar commonality in terms of glucose uptake,” Kim said. “This type of cancer clearly consumes a lot of sugar. One of our next steps is to look at why this is the case.”

An upcoming study by Kim’s group will examine the effect of a sugar-restricted diet on the progression of lung cancer in an animal model of the disease. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that in 2015, on average, each American consumed more than 75 pounds of refined sugar, high fructose corn syrup and other sweeteners combined.

“As a culture, we are very addicted to sugar,” Kim said. “Excessive sugar consumption is not only a problem that can lead to complications like diabetes, but also, based on our studies and others, the evidence is mounting that some cancers are also highly dependent on sugar. We’d like to know from a scientific standpoint whether we might be able to affect cancer progression with dietary changes.”

As a guide we’ve included a list compiled by Natural News of ideas to begin incorporating into your lifestyle:

Detoxify Your Life – Toxic chemicals are everywhere in our modern society. From our foods, medicines and vaccines to our skin care and personal care products. We are overloaded with toxicity, especially in the U.S. This toxicity weakens our immune system, preventing it from killing cancerous tumor cells as it normally does day in and day out.

Eliminate Refined Sugar – Sugar feeds tumor cells. Sugar creates an acidic environment in the body that allows tumors to thrive! Over-consumption of sugar and refined carbohydrates causes inflammation throughout your body as well. Inflammation is an underlying cause of many diseases, from heart disease and diabetes to cancer.

Maximize Plant-Based Nutrition – Vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds are the only source essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that support your immune system. Vegetables contain many thousands of phytochemicals that literally kill cancer cells.

Bask in the Sunshine – We have been taught to avoid sunshine because it causes skin cancer. However, this has only resulted in more carcinoma cases. Why? Because unprotected sun exposure is how your body makes vitamin D. Other than supplementation, you do not get significant amounts of vitamin D from any other other source. Vitamin D is essential for your immune system to function normally and kill cancerous cells. We were created to thrive on sunshine – our bodies require it!

Boost Your Oxygen Intake – Every cell of your body requires oxygen for normal metabolism, to produce energy and to rid itself of toxins. When cellular metabolism is interfered with and toxicity builds up, cancer is the natural result. To effectively deliver oxygen into the three trillion cells of your body, you need regular, high intensity exercise. Exercise is not only good for your heart but it prevents cancer as well. Recent research has shown that simply walking one hour each day lowers breast cancer risk by 14 percent. However, performing more vigorous exercise (high intensity interval training, for example) lowers your risk by at least 25 percent.(7)

Optimize the Healing Power of Your Nervous System – Your nervous system controls all health and healing in your entire body, including your immune system. When it is stressed, your healing is hampered. Chiropractic physicians are specifically trained to correct this cause of disease. Dr. Ronald Pero, the chief of cancer prevention research at New York’s Preventative Medicine Institute found that people who received regular chiropractic care over a five-year period had a 200% greater immune competence than those who had not received chiropractic care. The chiropractic group also showed a 400% greater immune competence than people with cancer and other serious diseases.(8)

Sources:

University of Texas at Dallas

Natural News