Sugar consumption has always been a problem. Excess sugar is always an issue and now researchers have found that it is leading to cancer. As a culture, we are very addicted to sugar. Excessive sugar consumption is not only a problem that can lead to complications like diabetes, but also, the evidence is mounting that some cancers are also highly dependent on sugar,” Kim rued.
For the study, published in the journal Nature Communications, the team investigated differences in metabolism between two major subtypes of non-small cell lung cancer — adenocarcinoma (ADC) and SqCC.
The researchers investigated the effect of a GLUT1 inhibitor in human lung tissue, isolated lung cancer cells and mice with both types of non-small cell lung cancer. When GLUT1 inhibitors was given to mice with lung cancer, the squamous cancer diminished, but not the adenocarcinoma. “There was not a complete eradication, but tumour growth slowed,” Kim said.
“Overall, our findings indicate that GLUT1 could be a potential target for new lines of drug therapy, especially for SqCC,” he suggested.
