NEWS RELEASE 4-DEC-2024
Research reveals how fructose in diet enhances tumor growth
Peer-Reviewed Publication
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS

Fructose consumption has increased considerably over the past five decades, largely due to the widespread use of high-fructose corn syrup as a sweetener in beverages and ultra-processed foods. New research from Washington University in St. Louis shows that dietary fructose promotes tumor growth in animal models of melanoma, breast cancer and cervical cancer. However, fructose does not directly fuel tumors, according to the study published Dec. 4 in the journal Nature.

Instead, WashU scientists discovered that the liver converts fructose into usable nutrients for cancer cells, a compelling finding that could open up new avenues for care and treatment of many different types of cancer.

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Avoiding fructose
Interestingly, over the same period of time when human fructose consumption has surged, a number of cancers have become increasingly more prevalent among people under the age of 50. This raises the question whether the trends are linked. With $25 million in support from Cancer Grand Challenges, Patti recently teamed up with Yin Cao, an associate professor of surgery at WashU Medicine, and other investigators from around the world, none of whom were involved in this study, to investigate possible connections.

“It will be exciting to better understand how dietary fructose influences cancer incidence. But one take-home message from this current study is that if you are unfortunate enough to have cancer, then you probably want to think about avoiding fructose. Sadly, that is easier said than done,” Patti said.

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