Fructose Fuels Cancer More than Other Forms of Sugar

Third Age
Fructose may aid in the formation of cancer cells more than other forms of sugar, says a new study from UCLA. Fructose is one of three natural, common types of sugar found in the human diet. Glucose is sugar formed from carbohydrates such as rice, pasta and potatoes. Sucrose is common table sugar, made from refined sugar cane.Fructose is a component of sucrose, as is glucose. However, fructose is most commonly consumed in the form of high-fructose corn syrup, largely from processed foods and sodas due to its relatively low cost and high flavor.

The study showed that pancreatic cancer cells used fructose and glucose in different ways, concluding that the cancer cells utilized fructose to multiply more readily than glucose. “These findings show that cancer cells can readily metabolize fructose to increase proliferation,” said Anthony Heaney of UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.The study makes it clear that by reducing or ceasing your intake of fructose, whether in fruit, sodas or processed foods, you may be able to slow cancer cell growth.

The study is particularly damaging to the corn industry, as well as various soda and food producers, who have long disagreed with the contention that high-fructose corn syrup has adverse health effects, claiming that all sugars are similarly metabolized by the body.