The relationship between sugar and cancer

For a long time, it has been believed that there is a relationship between cancer and sugar, but figuring out how this relationship works has been a challenge. Thanks to a nine-year research project, scientists have made a breakthrough. They have discovered much of the mechanism by which cancer cells metabolize sugar. We know that almost all cells in the body require energy. And they get it from the sugars in the foods we eat. But the glucose consumption of cancer cells is much higher than that of other cells, as is the speed at which they ferment that glucose into lactic acid. The team used yeast cells for this research, specifically with attention to the ‘Ras’ gene family.  A family of genes present in all animal cells, including human cancer cells. Yeast also has a very active sugar metabolism. But it does not have additional regulatory processes, which generally hide the processes that follow. The researchers found that yeast that had too much glucose caused the Ras proteins to become over-activated, which would allow the cells to grow at an accelerated rate. This explains the correlation between the strength of this effect on the body and the aggressiveness of cancer growth. The researchers clarified that, although it is a very important advance, it is only one step in a much larger process. And that an advance in research is not the same as a medical advance. What is clear is that excessive sugar consumption continues to be a habit that we have to take care of. To avoid diseases as decisive as cancer.