The dangers of sugar are well documented. Recent research has shown that high sugar intake can greatly increase heart disease risk, and a new MRI technique even confirmed that cancer cells feed on sugar. New research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center sugar increases breast cancer risk.
“We found that sucrose intake in mice comparable to levels of Western diets led to increased tumor growth and metastasis, when compared to a non-sugar starch diet,” said Peiying Yang, Ph.D., assistant professor of Palliative, Rehabilitation, and Integrative Medicine. “This was due, in part, to increased expression of 12-LOX and a related fatty acid called 12-HETE.”
Previous studies have also linked sugar to breast cancer, with inflammation thought to be a major risk factor.
“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,” said co-author Lorenzo Cohen, Ph.D., professor of Palliative, Rehabilitation, and Integrative Medicine. “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.”
Identifying risk factors for breast cancer is a major public health priority, according to the authors. The researchers also add that moderate sugar consumption is critical, as intake in the U.S. has skyrocketed recently. Sugar consumption is a major contributor to obesity, heart disease and cancer.
“Prior research has examined the role of sugar, especially glucose, and energy-based metabolic pathways in cancer development,” said Yang. “However, the inflammatory cascade may be an alternative route of studying sugar-driven carcinogenesis that warrants further study.”
The study showing that sugar increases breast cancer risk was published in the journal Cancer Research.
Note: None of the information in our website is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any illness or disease. The content on our website is for educational purposes only.
DON’T FORGET to sign up for our weekly newsletter to get our latest articles, updates, free recipes and giveaways.
For 18 tips to prevent breast cancer.
Birth control pills may increase breast cancer risk.
How vitamin A may help reverse breast cancer.
REFERENCES:
1. “Sugar in Western Diets Increases Risk for Breast Cancer Tumors and Metastasis.” MD Anderson Cancer Center. The University of Texas, n.d. Web. 04 Jan. 2016.
2. “A Sucrose-Enriched Diet Promotes Tumorigenesis in Mammary Gland in Part through the 12-Lipoxygenase Pathway.” Cancer Research. Cancer Research, n.d. Web. 04 Jan. 2016.
