Johan Thevelein, Wim Versées and Veerle Janssens started researching sugar’s link to cancer in 2008. They tried better understand what’s called the Warburg effect, when tumor cells make energy through a rapid breakdown of glucose not seen in normal cells.
Cancer cells get energy from fermenting sugar, which has a lower energy yield than the normal chemical reactions cells use. That energy fuels tumor growth. Sugar “awakens” existing cancer cells, making them multiply and expand rapidly, according to these scientists. “This link between sugar and cancer has sweeping consequences. Our results provide a foundation for future research in this domain, which can now be performed with a much more precise and relevant focus,” they said. It was also proved that eating a low-sugar diet could change a cancer diagnosis. This research in yeast and human cells has led to a new very valuable scientific hypothesis. The research is a small step in a long process to understand how this happens. But first, researchers think their findings could help oncologists create new, tailor-made diet strategies for cancer patients as well. The development path still takes years, researchers say.