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High-fructose corn syrup boosts intestinal tumor growth in mice
First, Yun and her colleagues generated a mouse model of early-stage colon cancer where APC gene is deleted. "APC is a gatekeeper in colorectal cancer. Deleting this protein is like removing the breaks of a car. Without it, normal intestinal cells neither stop growing nor die, forming early stage tumors called polyps. More than 90 percent of colorectal cancer patients have this type of APC mutation," Yun said.
Using this mouse model of the disease, the team tested the effect of consuming sugar-sweetened water on tumor development. The sweetened water was 25 percent high-fructose corn syrup, which is the main sweetener of sugary drinks people consume. High-fructose corn syrup consists of glucose and fructose at a 45:55 ratio.
When the researchers provided the sugary drink in the water bottle for the APC-model mice to drink at their will, mice rapidly gained weight in a month. To prevent the mice from being obese and mimic humans' daily consumption of one can of soda, the researchers gave the mice a moderate amount of sugary water orally with a special syringe once a day. After two months, the APC-model mice receiving sugary water did not become obese, but developed tumors that were larger and of higher-grade than those in model mice treated with regular water.
[...] The team then investigated the mechanism by which this sugar promoted tumor growth. They discovered that the APC-model mice receiving modest high-fructose corn syrup had high amounts of fructose in their colons. "We observed that sugary drinks increased the levels of fructose and glucose in the colon and blood, respectively and that tumors could efficiently take up both fructose and glucose via different routes."
Using cutting-edge technologies to trace the fate of glucose and fructose in tumor tissues, the team showed that fructose was first chemically changed and this process then enabled it to efficiently promote the production of fatty acids, which ultimately contribute to tumor growth.
[...] To determine whether fructose metabolism or increased fatty acid production was responsible for sugar-induced tumor growth, the researchers modified APC-model mice to lack genes coding for enzymes involved in either fructose metabolism or fatty acid synthesis. One group of APC-model mice lacked an enzyme KHK, which is involved in fructose metabolism, and another group lacked enzyme FASN, which participates in fatty acid synthesis. They found that mice lacking either of these genes did not develop larger tumors, unlike APC-model mice, when fed the same modest amounts of high-fructose corn syrup.
(Score: 2) by Hyperturtle on Tuesday April 02 2019, @01:33PM (1 child)
I agree, sugar of any kind can feed gut tumors. Refined sugar makes it easy for the tumors to feed; you are delivering fuel right to them. They don't have to work for it, for similar reasons as to why its so easy to get fat eating refined sugars. The body readily uses or stores it. Peeing too much of it out can lead to urinary infections caused by bacteria that also feeds on sugars; drugs made to help excrete sugars can cause problems even on the way out...
Dietary fiber, soluable and on-soluable, can scrub away tumors to some extent, and help prevent them from establishing, while also making it harder to absorb the sugars you ingest--I think they call that the glycemic index for how readily a food gives up its sugar content, which is a handy reference for choosing foods sometimes. ANyway, cutting back on sugars can starve tumors, eating fiber can help clean tumors away and assist in suppressing their growth once established. An apple a day keeps the doctor away, right?
Remember how there was a miracle tumor drug that focused on the blood vessels connecting the tumors to the bloodstream? It worked by starving them--it made the soda straw skinnier and so the tumors couldn't get as fat. Tumors shrunk, but often were not eliminated--they just didn't get as much sugar. Not consuming sugar is better for you, but... it's not so easy to avoid sugar as compared to taking miracle pills. Both work better than either once the tumors start.
Somewhat related, also note (not in the article) that carbonated beverages make people feel hungry due to tricking the gut, whether or not they are diet drinks or just carbonated water. It causes a sense of fullness (the bubbles) that rapidly disspiates (the burps), leading to gut signaling that something is wrong and the "food" isn't working. Then the hunger becomes more urgently signaled. Fake sugar substitutes can exaberate this response mechanism. The best option is to drink (cold) water--or unsweetened teas/beverages if water is just too plain. Carbonated sugary drinks "push" the sugar into the bloodstream more quickly; I expect studies will find that they are causing tumor growths to grow even more efficiently than refined sugars by themselves, which is bad as it is.
High fructose corn syrup deserves some vilification, but not all of what it receives--added sugar and refined carbohydrates are to blame, and HFCS just happens to the cheapest type added to many products. Switching to glucose/fructose or molasses or maltodextrin or... it's all bad when skewed way out of moderation. That said I still prefer real maple syrup if I ever pour stuff onto pancakes/waffles.. even into coffee. but it's just a different type of refined sugar, so it's not any better except for perhaps the taste and texture... (I still have sugar weaknesses even if I think I know better...)
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Tuesday April 02 2019, @03:42PM
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