Starving Cancer Cells Of Sugar Could Be The Key To Future Treatment

[LiberalArkie]

All the cells in our bodies are programmed to die. As they get older, our cells accumulate toxic molecules that make them sick. In response, they eventually break down and die, clearing the way for new, healthy cells to grow. This “programmed cell death” is a natural and essential part of our wellbeing. Every day, billions of cells die like this in order for the whole organism to continue functioning as it is supposed to.

But as with any program, errors can occur and injured cells that are supposed to die continue to grow and divide. These damaged cells can eventually become malignant and generate tumors. In order to avoid their programmed cell death in this way, cancer cells reorganize their metabolism so they can cheat death and proliferate indefinitely.

Cancer researchers have known for decades that tumors use a faster metabolism compared to normal cells in our body. One classic example of this is that cancer cells increase their consumption of glucose to fuel their rapid growth and strike against programmed cell death. This means that limiting glucose consumption in cancer cells is becoming an attractive tool for cancer treatments.

A New Hope?
You may have seen articles or websites advocating that starving patients of sugar is crucial for getting rid of tumors or that eating less sugar reduces the risk of cancer. The story is not that simple. Cancer cells always find alternatives to fuel their tank of glucose, no matter how little sugar we ingest. There is not a direct connection between eating sugar and getting cancer and it is always advisable to talk to your doctor if you have doubt about your diet.


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[Warpy]

1. Any therapy will have to be heavily targeted

so it doesn't starve brain cells of sugar. That would leave a cancer patient cured of the cancer but in a persistent vegetative state.

[Th1onein]

5. Brain cells survive very well on ketones (product of burned fat)

And then there's always gluconeogenesis.

[immoderate]

2. The Rand Paul hairdo culture cell?

--imm

[uppityperson]

3. One of the signs of some types of cancer is rapid wt lose. The cancer cells use it up fast

and starve the rest of the body. Cancer is amazing, reverting back to fetal form and rapidly replicating without those built in switches telling it to stop and start differentiating.

[Ruby the Liberal]

4. That was one of the most memorable things about my Dad's cancer

Never one for sweets of any kind, at the end of his life, he CRAVED sugar. We would have to make him double fudge milkshakes with fudge sauce added and a scoop of protein to get anything other than carbs into him. This from a man who, during my lifetime, I never saw eat more than a third of a candy bar a week. He would take a bite then rewrap, put in the fridge, and I swear, it would last him a month. Drove my mom bats. LOL

Hospice told us that this is very common with cancer (especially end-stage) as it feeds off of sugars - the body reacts by craving sugar, which the cancer consumes like crazy and then demands even more.