For the first time, the sugar fructose has been linked to cancer proliferation, according to recently published research out of UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.
That cancer cells utilize the sugar glucose for fuel has been well known for many years, but this research shows that cancer cells can just as easily utilize fructose. Investigators determined this by cultivating pancreatic cancer cells in the lab and using mass spectrometry to follow how they used both fructose and glucose.
The pancreatic cancer cells were able to use fructose to trigger an important signaling pathway in the cell that promotes cell division, enabling the cancer to grow at a faster rate.
Researchers criticized the increased use of fructose by food processing companies over the last few decades and suggested that the federal government create a public awareness campaign to reduce the amount of fructose in the average American diet.
CANCER TYPE(S)
Pancreatic cancer
TREATMENT TYPE(S)
Diet & nutrition
WHERE WAS THIS RESEARCH PUBLISHED?
Cancer Research
By Ross Bonander
Citation
Liu H et al. "Fructose induces transketolase flux to promote pancreatic cancer growth." Cancer Res. 2010 Aug 1;70(15):6368-76. Epub 2010 Jul 20.
