Sugar Metabolism is Typical in Cancer

Table of Content

• What is Metabolism?

• Do Cancer Cells Waste Glucose?

• Sugar Metabolism is Typical in Cancer Patients - How? 

• Myths About Cancer Diet

• Take-Home Points

• FAQ on Sugar Metabolism is Typical in Cancer

Introduction

For decades, people have been continuously researching cancer - about the possible breakthrough medicine which can serve as an elixir to save cancer patients. For this, they have been studying the metabolism of cancer cells so that any different cell mechanism gives a probable solution to the cancer treatment. Studies about cancer cell metabolism are not new! 

For decades it was believed that cancer cells metabolise differently. But the new research proves that sugar metabolism is typical in cancer patients. So, can this new research help in designing more effective drugs? In this article, you will get all your answers. 

What is metabolism?

Before going into cancer cell metabolism, let us give you some gist about the metabolism. 

Metabolism is a series of chemical reactions that are necessary for maintaining the living state of the organism, for obtaining energy from food and also for regulating the body in the state of homeostasis. Metabolism is divided into two categories. They are, 

• Catabolism - Here the molecules are broken down to obtain energy

• Anabolism -  Here the compounds are synthesised from the broken forms

Though metabolism is essential for various body functions, the primary need for metabolism is to obtain energy from food. 

How the Body Metabolizes Sugar?

Food supplies sugars (carbohydrates) in these three forms to the body cells - they are starch, glucose and cellulose (fibres). For any metabolism to function to its full potential or to be complete, the cells need to transfer the metabolic products to the mitochondria.

That's why mitochondria are called the powerhouse of the cell. Because they literally help in giving power (energy) to the body. So, when the carbohydrates are sent to the cells as sugars, they are metabolised to produce carbon dioxide and water.

These byproducts when they reach mitochondria are oxidized with the inhaled oxygen to produce energy in the body. The energy obtained helps you in doing your daily work. The energy remaining in excess is stored in the form of glycogen in the adipose tissue and liver.

Carbon Dioxide is let out from the nostril, while water is lost from perspiration and urination. Some energy is also used by all the body cells for growth, repair and multiplication. The metabolic pathway for carbohydrates is given below, 

Do Cancer Cells Waste Glucose?

In the early 1920s, a famous biochemist Otto Warburg made claims about the different sugar metabolism in cancer cells. He claimed that the cancer cells metabolise sugars differently as the mitochondria in cancer patients are damaged. According to him, cancer cells with defective mitochondria waste glucose and thus can't provide energy to the cells. But new research done at Washington University debunks such claims. 

Sugar Metabolism is Typical in Cancer Patients - How? 

The new findings show that the mitochondria in cancer cells are as functional as they are in normal body cells. This makes the sugar metabolism typical in cancer patients. However, there is a slight twist here. Though cancer cells perform sugar metabolism like normal cells, the rate of transfer of metabolic products to the mitochondria is low. When the capacity of the cells is low, the excess glucose which reaches the cells is pushed away from them. This is why early researchers believed that cancer cells waste glucose. But the fact is cancer cells don't waste glucose, they are just slow yet typical in sugar metabolism. 

How Can this Research Change Cancer Treatments? 

For many years, the rate of metabolism in the cancer cells was used as a tool to diagnose the cancer stage. In addition to that, cancer cells were thought to actually consume more glucose than other cells ( though it uses waste fully). This made the medical professionals refuse sugars (carbohydrates) in the diet of cancer patients, hoping that this would starve the cancer cells to death. This new research makes us rethink all this! 

We have understood that little or more sugar makes no difference as sugar metabolism is typical in cancer patients. This makes us in developing more effective treatments and drugs for cancer.  

Myths About Cancer Diet

When we talk about the well-circulated myth of sugars feeding cancer cells, there are also some other myths related to cancer diets. They are,

1. Acidic foods cause cancer.

Fact: There isn’t evidence to suggest that diet can influence your body's pH or cancer cells. 

2. Breast cancer patients should avoid soy and flax seeds. 

Fact: Having soy and flax products hasn’t been proven to provoke breast cancers. 

3. Superfoods help in preventing cancer.

Fact: The term ‘superfood’ is a mere marketing word and in reality, no food exists as such. 

4. Multivitamins lower the risk of cancer.

Fact: On the contrary, taking heavy doses of multivitamins poses a cancer risk. 

5. Hormones in meat and milk cause cancer. 

Fact: Receptors in the human body cannot recognise cow hormones and hence it is impossible to produce similar effects. 

6. GMOs cause cancer.

Fact: The various health concerns regarding GMOs have not yet been proven. 

7. Pesticides in foods cause cancer. So, switch to organic.  

Fact: There are no studies to tell that organic foods prevent cancer. 

8. Teflon pans cause cancer 

Fact: This is an absolutely baseless myth. 

9. Artificial sweeteners cause cancer 

Fact: There isn’t any strong research to draw the relation between cancer and artificial sweeteners. 

Take-Home Points

• For decades, cancer cells have been thought to waste glucose due to the damaged mitochondria. 

• But new research shows that mitochondria are functional in cancer cells and sugar metabolism is typical in cancer patients. 

• This breakthrough in cancer research can help in designing new drugs. 

References 

• Molecular Cell

• Sugar Intake and Cancer