Research found that a common dietary sugar may help the spread of ovarian cancer. Fructose, which is naturally found in fruit but is added to many processed foods, fueled metastasis in preclinical models. The research has not been confirmed with human studies yet. But if it is, this could be a modifiable risk factor people could control to slow down the spread of cancer.
The preclinical models found that cancer cells that survived chemo were biologically active and released fructose. That sent “signals” to neighboring tumor cells, and they became more invasive.
“Our study is among the first to show that a nutrient – fructose – can act as one of those signals,” said Dr. Aidan Cole, an author of the study.
Ovarian cancer is usually treated with platinum-based chemo. Ninety percent of deaths from ovarian cancer come from cancer spreading after treatment.
Fructose suppressed cholesterol in cells. The cholesterol acted as a glue, sticking the cells together. When there was less cholesterol, the cancer cells were able to spread more easily.
Even without chemo treatments, eating excess fructose may aid the spread of cancer, according to the researchers. In the U.S., up to a fifth of a person’s daily caloric intake can come from fructose because of our reliance on processed foods.
The study also raises questions about the use of statins during chemotherapy. More research may show that people should stop taking statins during treatment. However, at this time, without human research, that is not a recommendation.
“We haven’t tested this effect in patients yet, but it raises questions about combining cholesterol-lowering drugs with chemotherapy, especially since ovarian cancer is most common in postmenopausal women who are often already on statins,” said Katherine Aird, an author of the study.
This research comes from cell studies and mouse models. It does not mean that a person should skip chemotherapy or stop taking their prescribed statins. We always say that making small changes is great, but never make a large change based on unproven research. It’s possible that cutting back on fructose may be one way to slow the spread of ovarian cancer. It’s also possible that this research could be true for other cancers. Cutting back on processed foods high in added sugars is never an unhealthy choice, so that can be a wonderful choice for your health. But don’t make any radical changes based on this study alone.
