Fructose and Cancer Linked in Study

A very interesting study came out on August 2 in the journal Cancer Research that will likely have implications for the food industry over time, and should have implications for intelligent individuals immediately. The study showed that pancreatic tumor cells utilized two types of sugar (fructose and glucose) differently. The tumor cells consumed both types of sugars, but utilized fructose to "divide and proliferate." See Reuters article here.

The article's authors, Dr. Anthony Heaney and colleagues from UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center stated, "These findings show that cancer cells can readily metabolize fructose to increase proliferation." They also said, "They have major significance for cancer patients given dietary refined fructose consumption, and indicate that efforts to reduce refined fructose intake or inhibit fructose-mediated actions may disrupt cancer growth (emphasis added)."

The Reuters article notes that "U.S. consumption of high fructose corn syrup went up 1,000 percent between 1970 and 1990." Astounding.

As made widely known by the illness and death of Patrick Swayze, pancreatic cancer is often diagnosed late (Swayze's cancer was already at stage four and had spread to the liver when he was initially diagnosed). Which means that by the time a person knows they have pancreatic cancer, it is often too late.

So we can wait for the day when government and/or business catch up and high fructose corn syrup and other products are not so ubiquitous in the food supply. Or we can all begin now to pay more attention to what's in the food we eat and do our best to avoid it on our own. Starting NOW.