Sugar And Tumour Growth Might Have A Connection Say Scientists

A research that has lasted nine whole years for molecular biologists in Belgium has shown that sugar can stimulate tumour growth. According to the report by Business Insider, the results were published on Friday in the journal called Nature Communications and have helped explain a mystery that oncologists have been trying to figure out for decades now and this even gives new cancer-fighting solutions based on diet.

How Does It Happen

The regular, non-cancerous cells get their fuel from aerobic respiration which involves the breakdown of food molecules that can then be used as energy. This whole process requires oxygen which releases carbon dioxide as a by-product. But this is not the case with cancer cells.

Cancer cells get their fuel from fermenting sugar that gives a low energy to what the normal cells require. This is called the ‘Warburg Effect’ and this further shows that the common cancer causing genes called Ras proteins give fuel to aggressive tumours due to sugar consumption. According to the scientists, sugar awakens the existing cancer cells and cause them to multiply and then expand swiftly. Studies have also shown that sugar is no friend of proteins either.

Yeast cells were observed by these scientists to find out the fermentation process, the one needed for cancer growth, stimulates the growth of a tumour. “The hyperactive sugar consumption of cancerous cells leads to a vicious cycle of continued stimulation of cancer development and growth” lead study author and Belgian molecular biologist Johan Thevelein, a professor at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, wrote in a press release.