Sugar In Western Diets Increases Risk For Breast Cancer Tumors

The study, using mice, found that refined sugar and fructose, in particular, had an effect on a metabolic process called 12-LOX. High fructose diets spurred the processed known as 12-LOX, which contributes to the spread of cancer cells.

Since the body needs fructose, the researchers advised that people try to source it from natural fruit that contains other nutritional benefits as well instead of getting fructose from sugar-sweetened items, such as soda. This study adds to others that have linked dietary forms of sugar to various types of cancer, and also backs up studies that have separately associated sugar with tumor growth.

Cohen explained most cancer patients do not lose the battle against the disease due to their original tumor. “This preliminary animal research suggests that it does matter”.

Dr. Cohen added, “We determined that it was specifically fructose, in table sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, ubiquitous within our food system, which was responsible for facilitating lung metastasis and 12-HETE production in breast tumors”.

They fed mice four different diets that were either heavy in starch or heavy in different types of sugar. While people need sugar in their diets to survive, doctors say they shouldn’t get more than 10 percent of their calories from sugar. During the study, researchers carried out 4 separate studies randomizing mice to diet groups given one of 4 diets with differing sucrose and fructose levels.

Following the study, the researchers reached some pretty interesting, albeit dire results. This was especially the case in the group of mice fed fructose.

“We found that sucrose intake in mice comparable to levels of Western diets led to increased tumour growth and metastasis, when compared to a non-sugar starch diet”.

According to Cohen, the majority of cancer patients do not die from the primary tumor they develop, but from “metastatic disease”.

“This study suggests that dietary sucrose or fructose induced 12-LOX and 12-HETE production in breast tumour cells in vivo”, said Cohen.

“The current study investigated the impact of dietary sugar on mammary gland tumor development in multiple mouse models, along with mechanisms that may be involved”, Dr. Lorenzo Cohen, a professor of palliative, rehabilitation, and integrative medicine at MD Anderson, said in a press release.

Previously, some epidemiological studies showed that intake of dietary sugar has an impact on development of breast cancer, with inflammation believed to play a key role. More lung metastases were found to be higher on mice fed sugar-rich diet.

People who consume more sugar are at an increased risk to suffer from cancer, especially breast cancer.

In the United Kingdom, 35 kilos is the per capita consumption of sugar even as the consumption of drinks rich in sugar has been repeatedly identified as a major factor leading to the rise in heart disease, obesity and cancer across the globe.