Washington University Saint Louis: Research reveals how fructose in diet enhances tumor growth

[OKIsItJustMe]

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1066789

NEWS RELEASE 4-DEC-2024
Research reveals how fructose in diet enhances tumor growth
Peer-Reviewed Publication
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS

Fructose consumption has increased considerably over the past five decades, largely due to the widespread use of high-fructose corn syrup as a sweetener in beverages and ultra-processed foods. New research from Washington University in St. Louis shows that dietary fructose promotes tumor growth in animal models of melanoma, breast cancer and cervical cancer. However, fructose does not directly fuel tumors, according to the study published Dec. 4 in the journal Nature.

Instead, WashU scientists discovered that the liver converts fructose into usable nutrients for cancer cells, a compelling finding that could open up new avenues for care and treatment of many different types of cancer.

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Avoiding fructose
Interestingly, over the same period of time when human fructose consumption has surged, a number of cancers have become increasingly more prevalent among people under the age of 50. This raises the question whether the trends are linked. With $25 million in support from Cancer Grand Challenges, Patti recently teamed up with Yin Cao, an associate professor of surgery at WashU Medicine, and other investigators from around the world, none of whom were involved in this study, to investigate possible connections.

“It will be exciting to better understand how dietary fructose influences cancer incidence. But one take-home message from this current study is that if you are unfortunate enough to have cancer, then you probably want to think about avoiding fructose. Sadly, that is easier said than done,” Patti said.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08258-3

Maybe, just maybe, you might want to try to avoid fructose before you have a cancer diagnosis.

[bottomofthehill]

1. Read some labels, it is difficult to avoid

And they have renamed it a bunch of different ways and it is in ritz crackers, some wheat bread, some yogurts, ice cream, breakfast sandwiches, canned fruits and applesauces, most bbq sauce and ketchup , salad dressings, premade pizzas, soups, all the things that are shelf stable and less expensive when you are trying to stretch a dollar when times are tight.

Avoiding it is not as easy as you may think.

[SWBTATTReg]

2. You got that right (it's very prevalent). Perhaps there are substitutes for it, that might be easier to avoid it?

[OKIsItJustMe]

3. Yes, the authors make that quite clear

However, here’s an easy first step, stop drinking sugary drinks.
https://www.healthcentral.com/article/how-to-reduce-your-intake-of-highfructose-corn-syrup

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Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), such as sodas, juice, sports and energy drinks, and sweetened tea and coffee drinks, are the largest source of HFCS and added sugars in the American diet. A recent review published in Nature Reviews Endocrinology found on average we consume about 145 calories a day just from SSBs (about the amount in one can of Coke). That same study found strong evidence that having even just one serving of SSBs a day can directly increase the risk of weight gain, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

“Eating too much added sugar in general—whether from HFCS, honey, agave, table sugar or other sources—is bad for your health,” says Clarke. The most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting sugar intake to less than 10% of total daily calories. If you’re eating 2,000 calories a day, that would be 200 calories, or 50 grams (about 13 teaspoons), from sugar. But the American Heart Association (AHA) goes even further. It recommends women get no more than 24 grams (6 teaspoons) of added sugars a day and men no more than 36 grams (9 teaspoons). According to the AHA, Americans consume an average of 17 teaspoons (68 grams) a day.

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[bottomofthehill]

4. Totally, sodas, fruit juices full of it.

[OKIsItJustMe]

5. Although the fruit juice "could be a healthier drink choice" than a "sugar-sweetened fruity beverage"

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9932342/

Curr Res Food Sci. 2023 Feb 3;6:100454. doi: 10.1016/j.crfs.2023.100454
Health outcomes of 100% orange juice and orange flavored beverage: A comparative analysis of gut microbiota and metabolomics in rats

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Abstract
A high intake of sugar-sweetened fruity beverage (FB) is associated with a higher risk of metabolic syndromes, but the health outcome of 100% fruit juice (FJ) intake remains unclear. We aim to reveal health outcomes of diet intervention (FJ or FB) with system profiling via interaction of gut microbiota and metabolomics in a rat (Rattus norvegicus) model. Firstly, the glucose, sucrose, fructose, and bioactive metabolites of FJ and FB were analyzed, and FJ possessed higher sucrose and flavonoids, while FB showed higher glucose and fructose. Secondly, C0 was set as the control group on Day 0, and a 4-week diet invention was performed to control, FJ-intake, and FB-intake groups with normal saline, FJ, and FB, respectively. The results showed that FJ improved alpha diversity and decreased the Firmicutes/Bacteroidota ratio (F/B ratio) of gut microbiota and prevented insulin resistance. However, FB possessed unchanged microbial diversity and enhanced F/B ratio, causing insulin resistance with renal triglyceride accumulation. In summary, FJ, although naturally containing similar amounts of total free sugars as FB, could be a healthier drink choice.

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