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Cancer Treatment Myths: Why Can’t You Starve Cancer Cells Just by Cutting Sugar?
With the deepening of research on cancer metabolism, many people will hear the saying that "reducing sugar can starve cancer cells." This idea stems from the "Warburg effect" proposed by Otto Heinrich Warburg in the 1920s, which is that cancer cells use anaerobic glycolysis metabolism and lactic acid fermentation to generate energy instead of Uses the oxidative phosphorylation method that normal cells rely on. However, this dietary perspective on fighting cancer ignores the complexity of cancer cell metabolism.
The Warburg effect points out that cancer cells will still choose to carry out high-speed glycolysis and lactic acid fermentation to control cell growth even in the presence of sufficient oxygen.
Warburg's research shows that when tumor cells are starved of glucose and oxygen, it leads to energy deficiency, which in turn triggers cell death. Biochemist Herbert Grace Crabtree expanded on Warburg's research and found that yeast preferentially fermented in the presence of high concentrations of glucose, even in an aerobic environment. , this phenomenon is called the Crabbutt effect. It can be seen that the energy acquisition of cancer cells does not simply rely on the supply of oxygen and sugar, but more complex metabolic adjustments. This also makes it possible to focus on reducing sugar in the diet, which greatly reduces the effect of cancer treatment.
Normal cells rely on glycolysis followed by the tricarboxylic acid cycle and oxidative phosphorylation to release energy. However, most cancer cells are dominated by high-speed glycolysis and subsequent lactic acid fermentation. Even if there is sufficient oxygen, this phenomenon will not change. This anaerobic glycolysis is beneficial for tumor cell proliferation because it can efficiently convert nutrients into biomass required for cell proliferation, thus stimulating cell growth. In contrast, oxidative phosphorylation typically occurs under conditions of nutrient scarcity.
Many scientists are currently exploring the therapeutic potential caused by the Warburg effect, but its precise mechanism of action remains elusive.
The glucose uptake of cancer cells is increasing day by day, which is directly related to their rapid growth. Normal cells only produce lactate when there is insufficient oxygen, but cancer cells convert glucose into lactate in large quantities even when there is sufficient oxygen, complicating our view of cancer diet. Excessive lactate production is sometimes thought to be a way for cancer cells to manage their internal excess of electrons, suggesting that cancer cells have unique strategies for energy management and metabolic regulation.
Although some studies are pursuing drugs that block glycolysis as anticancer agents, there is no clear evidence to support the effectiveness of these treatments. In fact, many experiments are ongoing, and their potential side effects and pharmacological properties still need to be further evaluated. The habit of thinking that reducing sugar in the diet will "starve" cancer cells often leads patients to ignore the importance of maintaining a balanced diet.
Finally, for cancer patients, maintaining a healthy diet is particularly important rather than blindly cutting back on sugar.
At different stages of the disease, patients have different nutritional needs, and maintaining physical health and nutritional intake during treatment is crucial. This calls for us to rethink: Why do we still have so many misunderstandings and myths about cancer treatment models?
