The western diet is a form of diet in which a person takes in foods such as red meat and sugary sweets in order to increase the calorie percentage in their body. However, a recent study revealed that too much sugar in this particular form of diet increases the risks of getting breast cancer.
A team of researchers from the University Of Texas conducted a study in order to showcase the harmful effects of dietary sugars in an enzymatic signalling pathway known as 12-lipoxygenase (12-LOX). By examining a lab mouse, the researchers found out that increasing the daily sucrose intake with the same amount that can be seen on western diets will elevate the chances of a person acquiring and developing cancerous tumors (metastasis) compared to those who use non- starch diets.
According to Assistant Professor Peiying Yang of Palliative, Rehabilitation and Integrative Medicine, this occurred due to the fact that an increase in sucrose intake leads to the spreading of 12-LOX and a fatty acid known as 12-HETE. Prof. Yang also stated that even though there have been previous researches regarding thedevelopment of cancer cells due to sugar and inflammation, further studies are still needed in order for them to come up with a definitive result. She even added that their study is the first of its kind since no one has ever used animals in the examination of the link between glucose and cancer.
Prof. Lorenzo Cohen, on the other hand, said that a component called fructose and table sugar are specifically the culprits in growth of tumors and lung metastasis, as well as the production of 12-HETE in tumors found on the breasts. However, he also stated that the link between the two needs to be studied much further in order for it to be proven.
Prof. Cohen then finished his notes on the study by saying that their research concentrated on the impact of dietary sugar on various organs in the body such as the mammary gland. And after the study and observation on four different mouse models, they found out that fructose plays a key role in the development of cancerous cells in the body, regarding of what mechanism is involved in it.
