{"componentChunkName":"component---src-templates-blog-post-js","path":"/EN/3/f21cce0f7920ef78e67953e401d0c543_t/","result":{"data":{"site":{"siteMetadata":{"title":"Leonids"}},"markdownRemark":{"id":"491e607b-ff70-5bdb-ab0c-d0ee6ae77a91","excerpt":"","html":"
     <i></i>   <i></i>   <i></i> -6<p><img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/c-users-zainab-afridi-downloads-20-10-2439-jpg.jpeg"/></p> <p>Many of us cannot live without sugar. We’ve heard stories and stories about how the sweet goodness is bad for us and can lead to multiple health problems and yet we just cannot keep our hands off it. However, this recent research breakthrough about the correlation of our sugar intake and the growth of cancer, one of the leading causes of death worldwide, may change your perception about your beloved dessert forever.</p> <h2>What is sugar and why do we need it?</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-1407.jpeg"/>Shutterstock.com <p>Sugar comes in many forms. The white sugar that we are most familiar with is called sucrose and is a molecule comprised of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. This combination makes it a carbohydrate, the body’s main source of energy. It naturally occurs in some plants such as the sugarcane, from which we process white and brown sugar. Sucrose is comprised of two simpler sugar molecules combined, glucose and fructose. The shape of white sugar granules occurs because of the orderly arrangement of many sucrose molecules.</p> <p>Chains of sugar lose their signature sweet taste as they get longer and more complex, as in the case of starchy foods like bread, pasta, rice and potatoes. They also lose their ability to dissolve in water easily. So, sugar occurs not just in candies and honey but also in most of our staple foods. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing either. We need sugar to survive.</p> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-1409.jpeg"/>Shutterstock.com <p>Human beings are complex organisms made up of living cells. Each of these cells require a source of energy to complete the duties and tasks only they can do. If even one of these cells fail, it will adversely affect the entire human body. The energy these cells require is stored within the chemical bonds that bind the sugar molecules together. Released through a series of oxidation reactions, the energy is converted into ATP and NADH molecules that are used to power cellular reactions and build new cellular components. All of this is accomplished through respiration, the process of intaking oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide – what we commonly refer to as breathing.</p> <p>Glucose is thus very important to our cells. If our body receives sugary foods like coke, the glucose is immediately absorbed into the blood, ready to use. If we eat starchy foods like bread, it takes a while for the body to break down the starch molecules into glucose. Therefore, we can feel the ‘sugar rush’ very soon after we consume very sweet foods. And if the body does not receive any glucose, it converts its stores of fat and protein into glucose and breaks them down instead.</p> <h2>How is sugar related to cancer?</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-1411.jpeg"/>Shutterstock.com <p>Cancer cells are also living cells. And just like any other living cell of the body, they also require glucose to survive. Another characteristic is that they multiply and grow rapidly as compared to normal cells of the human body. This means that they require more glucose than normal cells to fuel their accelerated activity. In fact, it has been proven that their glucose intake is higher than other cells as well as the rate at which they ferment that glucose into lactic acid.</p> <p>However, starving the cancer cells of glucose is not the solution. Cancer cells require other nutrients as well, such as fats and amino acids. It is not reliant on glucose alone. There is also no way to cut off the glucose supply to cancer cells while keeping it open for normal healthy cells. The notion that a ‘sugar-free’ diet will prevent one from being diagnosed with cancer or stop cancer from progressing to dangerous stages is false.</p> <p>Unfortunately, a low-sugar diet does more harm to the body than good. It deprives it of foods containing essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients the body needs to fight the cancer. This includes proteins, fibre and good fats. This is particularly important in the case of cancer patients, who usually have lost some of their body mass and strength after chemo and radiotherapies. Remember that a good, balanced diet will be more effective in fighting cancer than a sugar-free or low-sugar diet.</p>     <h2>What is the Warburg Effect?</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-1413.jpeg"/>Shutterstock.com <p>In the 1950s, a scientist named Otto Warburg noticed that cancer cells use a different mechanism than normal cells to generate energy for cellular processes. While ordinary cells use mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, cancer cells use aerobic glycolysis, which is much more ineffective. The main difference is that healthy cells use chemical reactions occurring in the mitochondria, the powerhouse of the cell, to fuel their activities. Cancer cells bypass the mitochondria entirely and generate their energy through a comparatively faster process. This lets them quickly meet their large demand of energy for cell growth and multiplication.</p> <p>The good news is that the Warburg Effect may be cancer’s Achilles Heel. Scientists have theorized two methods to possibly thwart cancer. One is to develop drugs that hinder only the cancer cells’ energy-making processes and let the healthy cells’ processes continue. The second is to restrict the supply of nutrients like amino acids to the cancer cells as their unusual energy-generated method leaves them unable to adapt to changes as quickly as normal cells. However, both these methods are still in the experimental stage and will take some time to be proven effective and available to the public. Until then, experiments with diet are highly unrecommended and could prove to be dangerous to the experimenter.</p> <h2>Why are yeast cells important?</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-1415.jpeg"/>Shutterstock.com <p>Yeast cells are integral in our search for the answer to stop cancer. This is because both yeast cells and tumour cells contain the same ‘Ras’ protein. This gene, when mutated, causes a cell to turn from benign to malignant. In fact, the mutated version of the ‘Ras’ gene is found in nearly half of all cancers. Three Belgian research teams were able to come with the conclusion that high sugar intake helps the growth of cancer by comparing the activity of ‘Ras’ and the sugar metabolism in yeast cells. They published their findings in the journal Nature Communications. An excerpt says that the interaction between the ‘Ras’ gene and a specific sugar molecule (fructose-1,6-bisphosphate) “may lock cancer cells in a vicious cycle causing both persistent stimulation of cell proliferation and continued maintenance of overactive glycolysis. This would explain the close correlation between the proliferation rate and aggressive character of cancer cells and their fermentation hyperactivity”.</p> <p>This discovery is important not because it highlights the dangers of a high sugar intake but proves that there is an actual mechanism taking place behind the scene. Cancer cells rely on a high ineffective energy-generating process which seems illogical considering the vast amounts of energy they require. But this discovery of the relationship between its ‘Ras’ gene and the sugar molecule mentioned may help further medical advancements and help us understand the formation and growth of tumour cells and how to stop them while maintaining the good health of the rest of the body.</p> <h2>Does this mean cancer patients should have a low-sugar diet?</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-1417.jpeg"/>Shutterstock.com <p>This discovery could mean cancer patients should avoid foods with high sugar content. The enhanced breaking down of sugar molecules does accelerate cancer growth but scientists still do not know why cancer cells are able to achieve this shortcut of breaking down large amounts of glucose for energy purposes in short periods of time. The National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) recommends a high intake of vegetables, fruits, carbohydrates and proteins. Vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower convert bad oestrogen to good oestrogen and reduce the risk of cancer and relapse. Bitter gourd reduces blood sugar levels and tomatoes and carrots are excellent sources of vitamins and fibre. Oranges provide vitamin C and avocados and guavas and good for energy. Lean meat like chicken and fish are recommended as a protein source along with chickpeas and lentils. For fibre, look to wholegrain oats, bread, corn and pasta. Foods that absolutely must be avoided are processed meats such as sausages, deep fried proteins (which contain a carcinogen called heterocyclic amines), red meat, foods that contain preservatives such as pickles (which contain nitrites, a carcinogen), excessively salty and sweet foods and alcohol.</p>     <p>Sugar does not directly cause cancer and cutting it will not prevent one from getting cancer. But this research breakthrough will help future scientists focus more on the genetics of tumour cells, how they break down glucose and how they use it for energy in an unusual manner. We may not have the cure right now but each day we inch closer and closer to a possible one. The research is on our side.</p>   <i></i>
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