Pancreatic cancer thrives on fructose

[caption id="attachment_11492" align="alignleft" width="108" caption="Corn syrup prodct"][/caption]

 Carol Forsloff  UCLA researchers find sugar helps cancers grow more quickly, which is a wake-up call about the American diet.

Pancreatic cancers especially thrive on fructose, and many American foods contain this simple kind of sugar.

"The bottom line is the modern diet contains a lot of refined sugar
including fructose, and it's a hidden danger implicated in a lot of
modern diseases, such as obesity, diabetes and fatty liver," said Dr.
Anthony Heaney, an associate professor of medicine and neurosurgery and a
Jonsson Cancer Center researcher. Heaney also serves as co-director of the Pituitary Tumor and Neuroendocrine Program at UCLA.  She explains, "In this study, we show that cancers can use fructose just as readily as glucose to fuel their growth."

The study is published in the Aug. 1 issue of the peer-reviewed journal Cancer Research.

Some sources of fructose include cane sugar (sucrose) and high-fructose corn
syrup (HFCS), a corn-based sweetener that has been on the market since
about 1970. HFCS accounts for more than 40 percent of the sweeteners
added to foods and beverages, and it is used more than any other type of
sweetener, in soft drinks.

Furthermore, the use of these sweeteners has grown 1000 percent from 1970 - 1990.

Heaney and his team looked at the pancreatic tumors of patients, adding
glucose to one set of cells and fructose to another.  Pancreatic cells
grew more rapidly with fructose, which it was found they could easily
distinguish from glucose.

The
value of the study is reflected by researchers pointing out how
fructose is used more often than glucose.  "They have major significance
for cancer patients, given dietary refined fructose consumption."
Researchers believe that like smoking a federal effort should be set up
to reduce the use of fructose.

"I
think this paper has a lot of public health implications," Heaney said.
"Hopefully, at the federal level, there will be some effort to step
back on the amount of HFCS in our diets."

Soft drinks reported to increase risk for pancreatic cancer

Soft drink

Those who consume two or more soft drinks per week are increasing their risks of pancreatic cancer, according to a report issued by Cancer Epidemiology: Biomarkers & Prevention. The new study joins other research looking at cancer risk factors.

Pancreatic cancer has a very high death rate with only 5 percent of patients diagnosed with the disease still alive five years after diagnosis.

The team, led by Mark Pereira, Ph. D, associate professor in the school of Public Health at the University of Minnesota, found sugar-sweetened beverages put people at risk because of the high levels of sugar found in the soft drinks. What has also been found and reported in the Journal is those who consume a high level of carbonated beverages have a poor behavioral profile overall.

Around 60,524 men and women were followed to develop the conclusions. One-hundred and forty pancreatic cancer cases were found in the 14 years the group of subjects, primarily from Singapore, were associated. Scientists say the study is applicable as well to the United States. Periera explained:“Singapore is a wealthy country with excellent health care. Favorite pastimes are eating and shopping, so the findings should apply to other western countries."

Despite the dramatic findings of this study, some scientists exercise caution in finding the results applicable to Americans or other groups. Susan Mayne, Ph.D., associate director of the Yale Cancer Center and professor of epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health, points out the results of the study are certainly interesting but must be examined in terms of its limitations. She believes the number of cases were not large enough to provide sufficient evidence for the conclusions reached by the study.

Furthermore she observes soft drink consumption is also associated with eating and drinking foods also considered to be suspects in the development of cancer, like smoking and meat intake. Nevertheless Pereira declares the results biologically plausible because the conclusions held up in non-smokers and remained similar when other dietary habits were taken into account.

Pancreatic cancer, according to Medline, has the following symptoms, some of which may not occur until the tumor has reached the point where it is inoperable. It has figured prominently in the news this year with the death of Patrick Swayze.

* Pain or discomfort in the upper part of the belly or abdomen
* Loss of appetite and weight loss
* Jaundice (a yellow color in the skin, mucus membranes, or the eyes)
* Dark urine and clay-colored stools
* Fatigue and weakness
* Nausea and vomiting
Other possible symptoms are:
* Back pain
* Blood clots
* Depression
* Diarrhea
* Difficulty sleeping
* Indigestion

While this study points out the risks associated with soft drink consumption, in 2003 a medical study revealed too much aspirin was also indicated as a risk factor in developing pancreatic cancer.

As soft drinks continue to be highlighted by the present study, experts indicate additional research may be needed for the litany of risk factors for pancreatic cancer to be firmly established.