Sugar was called the cause of aggressive cancer

Scientists from the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium found that glucose provokes rapid growth of malignant tumors.

Sugar was called the cause of aggressive cancer

The consumption of sugar, thus, causes the development of aggressive forms of cancer. The article is published in the journal Nature Commication.

Cancer cells are characterized by rapid consumption of large amounts of carbohydrates. In normal cells, glycolysis (the process of glucose oxidation) proceeds slowly with the formation of pyruvate. In tissues of malignant tumors, glycolysis is 200 times faster, and instead of pyruvate, lactic acid is formed. It is believed that the active oxidation of sugars leads to a huge amount of energy going to the multiplication of defective cells and the growth of metastases. This phenomenon, which was also found in yeast, is called the Warburg effect.

During the experiments mutant yeasts were used which are able to absorb glucose in large amounts. Researchers studied the functions of the genes of the family Ras, regulating the division of cells in many organisms, including humans. Mutations in these areas of DNA can increase the activity of genes, contributing to uncontrolled multiplication of cells.

It turned out that the sugar consumed in large quantities "includes" Ras, allowing the yeast to share at a high rate. In cancer cells, glucose becomes the cause of the "vicious circle". The tumor consumes carbohydrate, it becomes more, as a result of its need for sugar increase.