Mouse-model study identifies how high fructose corn syrup accelerates growth of tumours.
Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and Weill Cornell Medicine, USA, have found that modest amounts of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) — a common ingredient in fizzy drinks — speeds up the growth of intestinal tumours.
The study, published in Science,1 was carried out on mice and so cannot be applied to humans. However, it found that HFCS given to mice through sweetened water accelerated tumour growth even when the mice were not obese — this last point being noteworthy because obesity is viewed as a risk factor for cancer.
Although observational studies have linked drinking sugary drinks with bowel cancer (also known as colorectal cancer or CRC), it had not been clear whether drinking sugary drinks actually caused or contributed to the disease. The authors also said that previous studies had tended to focus on either fructose or glucose, but that sugary drinks contained both. HFCS comprises fructose and glucose at a 55:45 ratio.
Genetic deletion
To investigate the possible effects of HFCS, the team first generated a mouse model of early-stage colon cancer “where APC gene is deleted”.
Co-corresponding author Dr Jihye Yun, assistant professor of molecular and human genetics at Baylor and Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas scholar, said: “APC is a gatekeeper in colorectal cancer. Deleting this protein is like removing the breaks of a car. Without it, normal intestinal cells neither stop growing nor die, forming early stage tumours called polyps. More than 90 per cent of colorectal cancer patients have this type of APC mutation.”
The mice were given controlled amounts of sweetened water, to mimic human consumption of one fizzy drink per day. After two months, they had developed larger and higher-grade tumours than mice that had been given regular water.
Esta historia es de la edición Summer 2019 de Optimum Nutrition.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición Summer 2019 de Optimum Nutrition.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Summer Of
Summer is when we want to be out and about, as the warm embrace of the sofa on a cold winter’s night becomes a distant memory. So where do you go when the brain is willing but the body just can’t cut it at the same level of performance that it managed decades ago? Graeme Wilcockson reviews a few ways to satisfy those competitive weekend instincts that will tax both mind and body — yet leave you able to move on Monday morning
Common Kitchen Practices Making Us Sick
Every year, thousands of us fall sick from food poisoning because of how we have handled food. Louise Scodie and Louise Wates look at common ways in which we are going wrong
Could Antioxidants Save Our Bacan?
Nitrates and nitrites have long been linked to cancer. We look at how they are part of a chain reaction that may not always be harmful to human health... So what’s the case with bacon?
Eat For A Glow That Is More Than Skin Deep
Now that summer is here, it’s time to peel off the layers and make some vitamin D. But if your skin isn’t as peachy as you would like, or if you are worried about staying safe in the sun, find out how good nutrition may support your skin’s health. Maggie Charlesworth writes
Natural Beauty
If headlines about microbeads from cosmetics polluting our seas have got you wondering how you can do your bit for the environment, try using nature’s harvest to feed your skin. Hannah Maryse Robinson writes
A Summer Selection Of Goods And Goodies
Lazy Vegan frozen Chunky Pulled Peaz is a gluten-free, plant-based protein source suitable for vegans and — with a substantial texture — flexitarians.
Do Something Different
As many of us are concerned about keeping our brains active, Ellie Smith investigates whether trying something completely new could boost both our brain health and mental wellbeing
Lifting Weights, Lifting Confidence
When Bianca Mills was bullied at school she could not have dreamt that she would be able to speak in front of a group of women, let alone coach them in lifting free weights. She told Louise Wates why she believes buddying-up is just as important as physical strength for fostering confidence
Teaching Children How To Forage
Catherine Morgan finds out how foraging can teach children (and adults) about more than nature’s store cupboard, and can foster an understanding of and respect for the environment.
Keep Calm And Curry On
In August, India celebrates the anniversary of Indian Independence, yet the Anglo-Indian community, a legacy of the British Raj with its roots in European and Indian ancestry, still treads the cultural line between both communities. Jenny Mallin, author of A Grandmother’s Legacy, tells us about the fusion food in her family and recipes passed down through the generations
