Sugary Drink Risk Grows: Study Reveals Fructose May Aid Cancer Spread

Sweetened beverages may pose an additional risk beyond their sugar content, as new research indicates fructose could be a culprit in cancer cell communication and spread. A study by the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia found that fructose might signal cancer cells, making them more likely to detach and metastasize. This discovery, published in Nature Aging, has raised concerns about the impact of high-fructose diets on cancer progression.

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Fructose may become a signaling molecule between cancer cells, guiding cancer cells to detach and spread more easily.

The research focused on highly aggressive ovarian cancer, which often recurs despite initial chemotherapy. Scientists observed that non-dividing "senescent" cancer cells, which remain biologically active, secrete various substances. Fructose was identified as one of these secretions. When fructose enters adjacent cancer cells, it appears to boost mitochondrial respiration, increasing cellular NAD+ levels. This, in turn, activates deacetylation enzymes, which then suppress SREBP1, a key regulator of cholesterol synthesis. Cholesterol is vital for cell membrane structure and cell adhesion; a deficiency can cause cancer cells to lose their grip and spread.

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The study currently is limited to cell and mouse experiments and cannot be directly interpreted as 'eating fruit will cause cancer to spread.'

Experiments involving mice showed that a high-fructose diet significantly increased cancer cell dissemination, even without chemotherapy. The study also confirmed that blocking a specific mitochondrial component or directly supplementing cholesterol could reverse this detachment effect. However, experts stress that these findings are based on cell and animal studies and do not directly translate to humans eating whole fruits. The fructose in fruits is accompanied by fiber, water, and phytochemicals, and its absorption differs from that in sugary drinks. A 700ml sweetened beverage can contain nearly 50 grams of sugar, much of it fructose, a concentration difficult to achieve through fruit consumption alone. Therefore, avoiding high-purity fructose in liquid form remains a key dietary recommendation.

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The real concern is added sugars in liquid form. A 700ml full-sugar bubble tea often contains nearly 50 grams of sugar, most of it fructose, a concentration that is difficult for fruit to achieve.