Ever wonder how cancer cells are able to manipulate our body? What is it about cancer cells that disable our body from eliminating them?
Let’s take a closer look into the life of a cancer cell.
Cancer cells hijack glucose and alter immune cells. Both cancer cells and the immune system compete to utilize the glucose in our body. When this happens, cancer cells seem to take the trophy. This causes the T-cells, the main immune defense force, to weaken and therefore prevents them from having the correct weapons to defeat the cancer cells. Weiping Zou, a professor of Surgery, Immunology and Biology at the University of Michigan Medical School, says that if a way to influence the metabolic pathway is discovered then the T-cells may be able to be manipulated to stand a better chance against the cancer cells. We know that if glucose is provided then the tumor will use it. But, can we make T-cells resistant to glucose restriction?
Researchers decided to take on the challenge. After multiple tests, researchers found that the T-cells in our body have stem cell-like properties which enables them to live longer and gives them the ability to kill fairly well, tumors in found humans. By altering the metabolic pathway of cancer cells, the T-cells will be able to kill the cancer cells and overcome them. Clinical testing suggests using this idea of immune therapy. Some examples of treatments include having a checkpoint blockade or immune vaccination.
Eukaryotes, which includes humans, have more than one way of making energy. It has been long known in the scientific world that cancer cells favor the method of glycolysis for making energy. Glycolysis only uses sugar as a carbon source and does not need oxygen in order to function. Researchers have found that cancer cells do not always receive enough oxygen supply when in the bloodstream, and thus their energy is produced primarily from glycolysis. Unfortunately, glycolysis provides another benefit for these cancer cells as it prevents T-cells from having a strong immune response and killing off the tumor cells. T-cells and cancer cells compete for the sugar molecules present in the body. Unfortunately, glycolysis is not the only way that tumor cells evade our immune system. Researchers are still trying to discover what else fuels cancer cells and how we can limit their resources so that they won’t be able to rapidly multiply and spread.
How can we reduce our risk of cancer? A diet rich in sugar can lead to obesity and obesity increases one’s chances of getting cancer. Let’s talk some numbers. Women should consume no more than twenty-five grams of sugar a day. That’s around six teaspoons. Men should have no more than thirty-seven grams which is around nine teaspoons.
How can you be careful about your sugar consumption? Look for those hidden sugars on the nutrition label. To name a few: fructose (natural sugar from fruits), lactose (usually from dairy products), sucrose, maltose, dextrose and glucose! Try to eat foods with natural sugars, like honey, nectar, molasses and even maple syrup! Avoid those artificial sweeteners. A sweet tooth here and there can be balanced into a nutritional diet, however be sure to not go overboard!
(Source: Medical Xpress)