According to medical data, the risk of developing cancer is higher in people with diabetes. On the other hand, many medicines for the treatment of oncological pathology can cause pathology of carbohydrate metabolism.
Medical data show that there are many more diabetics among cancer patients than among those who do not have oncological pathologies. At the same time, it has been observed that one in five diabetics develops cancer. All this suggests that there is a link between diabetes and cancer.
Causes of Cancer in Diabetes
Many people diagnosed with diabetes have cancer. For the first time, such a relationship was discussed back in the 50s of the last century. According to many doctors, the use of certain types of synthetic insulin can cause cancer in a patient. However, this assertion is this moment extremely controversial.
To determine the causes of cancer development in diabetes mellitus, risk factors that contribute to the development of insulin resistance and increased blood sugar should be taken into account. First of all it is:
- alcohol;
- smoking;
- age - over forty years;
- poor-quality and irrational nutrition enriched with carbohydrates;
- sedentary lifestyle.
Without a doubt, it can be assumed that the presence of one risk factor for diabetes necessarily leads to the development of cancer in a patient.
In addition, some scientists have the right to argue that with an excess of insulin receptors on the surface of cells in type 2 diabetes, favorable conditions are created for the development of cancer. Such patients are at risk of developing pancreatic cancer, bladder. There is little evidence linking an increased number of insulin receptors and the development of lung and breast cancer.
Be that as it may, one should not assume that cancer will certainly develop with diabetes. This is just an assumption and a warning of doctors. Unfortunately, none of us is immune from such a terrible pathology.
How diabetes affects the course of cancer
Definitely, it does not have a beneficial effect on the tumor. Due to change hormonal background in patients, the risk of malignant degeneration of cells of many organs increases. Women with both cancer and diabetes have insensitive progesterone receptors. And this feature is not the most in the best way affects hormone therapy and changes the prognosis of cancer and diabetes to a less favorable one.
With diabetes, the type of immunity that does not allow the development of tumors is seriously affected. And her aggressiveness is due big changes in DNA and mitochondria. Cancer becomes more resistant to chemotherapy. Diabetes mellitus is a factor in the development of diseases of the cardiovascular and excretory systems. They further aggravate the course of cancer.
High blood sugar makes adverse adjustments in the course of cancer of the rectum, liver and prostate. Recent clinical studies show a reduced survival rate for patients with hypernephroma after radical nephrectomy.
The compensated course of diabetes adversely affects the development of a disease such as cancer. Conversely, diabetes mellitus in the stage of decompensation and cancer is a very dangerous and unfavorable combination in terms of prognosis. That is why it is necessary to control the disease. The best way to do this is with a low-carbohydrate diet. physical activity and, if necessary, insulin injections.
Diabetes and pancreatic cancer
The presence of diabetes is one of the risk factors for developing a pancreatic tumor. It is formed from the glandular cells of the organ and its epithelium. This happens due to the mutation of individual genes: pancreatic cells begin to divide uncontrollably. A cancerous tumor can grow into nearby organs.
Risk factors in pancreatic carcinogenesis are:
- alcohol consumption;
- smoking;
- consumption of food that destroys pancreatic tissue, containing fat and spices;
- pancreatic adenoma;
- cystosis of the pancreas;
- frequent pancreatitis.
The first sign of pancreatic cancer is pain. She says that the nerve endings of the organ are affected by the disease. Due to compression of the pancreatic bile duct by the tumor, the patient develops jaundice. Should be alert:
- yellow tint of the skin, mucous membranes;
- colorless stool;
- dark color of urine;
- skin itching.
With the collapse of the pancreatic tumor and further intoxication of the body, the patient develops apathy, loss of appetite, lethargy, weakness. Body temperature is often subfebrile.
Diabetes and breast cancer
In modern medicine, there is little evidence confirming the relationship between diabetes and breast cancer. That is, many studies either confirm it or deny it. Undoubtedly, poor nutrition, alcohol and smoking can cause postmenopausal breast cancer. It turns out that high sugar can provoke carcinogenesis of the tissues of this organ.
Indirectly, high sugar and obesity can also provoke malignant degeneration of the mammary gland. Again, no direct association between fat and breast carcinogenesis has been established. Maybe, subcutaneous fat stimulates the development of oncological processes in the mammary gland, but doctors have yet to find and confirm such a connection.
Impact of Diabetes on Cancer Treatment
Diabetes mellitus very often affects the kidneys. But many drugs used as chemotherapy are excreted through them. Delayed elimination of chemotherapy drugs leads to the fact that the kidneys begin to self-poison. Platinum preparations are especially toxic to the kidneys.
Some drugs used in the treatment of cancer have increased cardiotoxicity. Sugar also makes the heart and blood vessels more vulnerable to such drugs.
IN individual cases progressive damage to the central nervous system. Treatment with chemotherapy contributes to a greater severity of such changes. Doctors have to take risks and reduce dosages to the detriment of the effectiveness of treatment.
With diabetes, the treatment of breast cancer is much more complicated. This is especially true when using Tamoxifen. Separate modern drugs require corticosteroid medications. The use of corticosteroids in breast cancer, as well as in pathologies of other organs, contributes to the formation of steroid diabetes. Such patients are transferred to insulin or attributed to them increased doses of this hormone.
The presence of diabetes mellitus in a patient puts oncologists in a very difficult position when choosing an anticancer drug. It's connected with:
- a decrease in the level of immune protection under the influence of high blood sugar;
- a drop in the number of leukocytes in the blood;
- other qualitative changes in the blood;
- high risk of developing inflammatory processes;
- more severe course postoperative period with a combination of high blood sugar;
- a high probability of bleeding from diseased blood vessels;
- high risk of developing chronic renal failure;
- exacerbation of disorders of all types of metabolism in patients subject to radiation therapy.
All this indicates the importance of choosing the right tactics for the treatment of cancer in combination with diabetes.
The role of a low-carbohydrate diet in the treatment of cancer in diabetes
He discovered that cancer cells produce energy by very fast (breakdown of glucose without the participation of oxygen with the production of lactic acid or lactate as one of the products). But real energy (in the form ATP molecules) produces very little, and about 70 percent of glucose is used to produce lactate.
In the cells of a rapidly developing cancerous tumor the level of glycolysis can be 200 times higher than in normal tissues. Future Laureate Nobel Prize suggested that the main cause of cancer is precisely this metabolic disorder.
Today, science knows that cancer is caused, and it is from this side that most researchers are now trying to approach the problem, unfairly relegating older methods to the background.
The fact is that although the Warburg effect is still widely used to detect tumors, its role in the development of oncological diseases remained unclear. But now the results of a new study are finally shedding light on how sugar feeds cancer cells, making it difficult to treat.
In 2008, a coalition of Dutch and Belgian universities began their massive work to find out why tumors convert so much more sugar into lactate than healthy cells. In particular, scientists were looking for a link between glucose and the Ras gene family, errors in which lead to tumor development and the formation of metastases.
Professor Johan Thevelein of the Flemish Institute of Biotechnology (VIB) and colleagues have been working with yeast cultures that, like humans, have Ras genes. Researchers chose primitive unicellular organisms so as not to be distracted by the numerous regulatory processes that take place in mammalian cells.
As reported in an article published in the journal Nature Communications, the breakdown of sugar in yeast and cancer cells occurs stepwise through the formation of a substance called fructose 1,6-bisphosphate. During high-speed glycolysis, it accumulates a lot, and it is this that activates Ras proteins, which stimulate increased reproduction of both types of cells.
While researchers have not yet figured out what causes cells to forego their normal energy intake from respiration and consume more sugar, it has become clear that this process creates " vicious circle"The development of cancer causes an increased breakdown of glucose, which in turn promotes the spread of cancer. In this way, the team was able to demonstrate that the Warburg effect directly affects the aggressiveness of the tumor.
"Our research shows how hyperactive sugar consumption by cancer cells stimulates disease development and tumor growth," Tevelein says in a press release. "This association between sugar and cancer has wide-ranging implications, and our findings provide a solid foundation for future research in this area." .
The authors of the work also believe that the results of their study not only hint at the need to make changes in the diet of patients with cancer, but also once again indicate the dangers of sugar consumption in general.
By the way, in naked mole rats, famous for their resistance to development malignant tumors, in the body, which cannot serve as "food" for cancer cells.
Often referred to as the "plague of the 21st century", it is actually a very ancient disease. Modern scientists have found descriptions by ancient Greek and Egyptian physicians of diagnosing and removing malignant tumors, as well as evidence of tumors in 3,000-year-old skeletons. Some researchers even claim to have found traces of a malignant tumor in the bones of dinosaurs.
It is known that nutrition and lifestyle in modern world, plays big role in the occurrence of cancer, but age remains the biggest risk factor.
The fact is that most people live long enough. Average duration there is much more life today than it was in the past, this is largely due to advances in science, and in the fight against infectious diseases. Accumulation of damaged DNA with age is normal, but this is what causes mutations and cancer. In addition, the progress of medicine allows for early diagnosis of cancer.
Poor nutrition, poor quality products stuffed with all sorts of chemical additives, genetically modified products, air pollution, bad habits(e.g. smoking) have undoubtedly made a significant contribution to big number cases of oncology.
Smoking, for example, is believed to be the cause of about 90% of cases - one of the five most common types of cancer. But this does not mean at all that cancer is a completely modern disease, since the reasons for its development may be different. In one in six cases of cancer, the cause is the presence of an infectious agent (for example, human papillomavirus (HPV) or Helicobacter pylori bacteria).
Myth 2: Superfoods against cancer.
IN Lately it is becoming more and more fashionable to talk about "super foods" - from the well-known to us - blueberries, apples or garlic, and ending with more exotic products for our country - chia seeds, all kinds of algae, reishi mushroom, goji berries and acai. List " super products» seems endless, and their properties are magical.The term "super" is just another marketing gimmick to increase sales, and it's officially illegal to use it unless it's supported by scientific evidence.
This does not mean that all of these foods are bad or unhealthy. Balanced Diet important to our general health - varied diet, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants are essential for our body and have been proven in more than one scientific study.
Yet, it is naive to think that certain foods can protect us from cancer. In the long term, healthy lifestyle lifestyle and a healthy diet will help reduce the risk of developing many diseases, not just the intake of a certain food or drink.
Myth 3: A "high-acid" diet causes cancer.
Another myth about the relationship between diet and cancer is the diet, which increases the "acidity" of the blood, and with it increases the risk of malignant tumors. According to these theories, the salvation lies in the adoption of very healthy "alkaline" foods (raw fruits and vegetables, for example) instead of caffeine, refined sugar, milk, etc., which increase the "acidity" of the body.In fact, there is no scientific evidence that the cause of this insidious disease is the acid-base balance in the body.
Proponents of the alkaline diet claim that cancer cells can only grow in acidic environment and not in alkaline. This means that an alkaline diet should be able to change the pH of the blood and tissues in order to treat and prevent cancer, but this is not the case.
It is possible that the pH of body fluids may be disturbed, but this dangerous condition is called "alkalosis" or "acidosis" respectively. Possible reasons violations acid-base balance in the body - kidney disease, diabetes, lung disease, etc.
Myth 4: Sugar causes cancer.
Another common myth is that cancer cells "feed on sugar" and people with cancer should eliminate it completely from their diet."Sugar" is a very general term that refers to simple sugars, the monosaccharides in plants, for example, and more complex sugars such as the disaccharide, which is made up of the monosaccharides glucose and fructose, also called sucrose. Sugars are also known as carbohydrates because they are molecules made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. They supply our cells with energy.
The bottom line is that usually cancer cells require more "fuel" because they grow very fast, and often absorb glucose in a different way than healthy cells. This does not mean that cancer cells feed only on sugars. The body does not choose which cells can use "fuel". All carbohydrates are broken down into their constituent monomers, which are then used by cells to produce energy.
The Myth of the "Alkaline" Diet and That Sugar Misrepresents Very Reasonable Nutrition Advice -healthy food not accidentally called "healthy", as it brings undeniable benefit body. However, everything must be based on sound scientific evidence.
Myth 5: Cancer is a fungus - and baking soda is a cure for it.
This theory is rooted far inland, and is also considered unreliable.The problem is that - cancer cells are obviously not fungi.
There is even one theory that cancer is caused by fungi of the genus Candida and tumors are the result of the body's attempts to protect itself from a fungal infection. Until now, there is no evidence of this information, dating back to the beginning of the 20th century.
Thrush is often found in healthy people, and be treated without serious consequences for the body. Complications can be in case of weakened immune system such as in people with AIDS.
According to the theory of cancer caused by a fungus, the treatment is an injection of sodium bicarbonate. The idea is that aqueous solutions soda is alkaline, neutralizing the acidic microenvironment of cancer cells. Not only is this method useless for treating cancer, but practice shows that it can lead to fatal consequences.
As mentioned in the previous paragraph, the pH of body fluids is strictly controlled by the kidneys and injections of sodium bicarbonate in large doses can lead to a dangerous state of alkalosis.
According to some estimates, 12gm of baking soda per day can neutralize the acid produced from a tumor size of about 1mm (for a 65kg person). More than 30 g of soda per day can cause serious problems with health. So the introduction of soda in safe doses is practically useless for treatment.
Myth 6: Sharks don't get cancer.
Unfortunately, millions of sharks are victims of the shark cartilage industry, which is used as food additive. Many cancer patients have been misled that shark cartilage can cure their disease. In 1992, they even published a book called Sharks Don't Get Cancer: How Shark Cartilage Can Save Your Life by Dr. William Lane.The results of this myth are very negative: the health of patients remains unchanged, their financial position- worsened, and the number of sharks is decreasing even faster and more species are in danger of extinction.
Myth 7: There is a miracle cure for cancer...
The Internet is full of articles and videos of cancer treatment with miraculous healing methods.Usually such magical methods can be read on illegal websites or social networking platforms such as Facebook. The problem is that in most cases there is no important information for diagnosis, prognosis of the extent, history or lifestyle and features of the patient's body. References to scientific data and research are also rare. Data is not available for patients who have tried an appropriate "treatment" that has not been successful.
As in cancer biology and in any other field of science, there are certain standards and rules for conducting tests. The goal is to avoid careless mistakes, and to enable scientists and physicians around the world to learn about treatments and make their own judgments.
Yes, ethnoscience is useful and can give us advice against many diseases.
Myth 8: ... And big. The pharmaceutical companies kept it a secret.
According to another theory, the big pharmaceutical companies and the government conspired among themselves not to reveal the miraculous cure of people's cancer, which is otherwise cheap and easily available. The idea is to profit from selling ineffective drugs to sick people.There is no doubt that the pharmaceutical industry has serious problems with corruption and transparency - there are even books written on the subject. However, we must recognize that cancer covers wide range disease, and indeed difficult question. Successfully developing a cure for any type of cancer is difficult, time-consuming and costly.
Thanks to projects such as the "cancer genome" containing information about genetic mutations in cancer cells, it is now clear that each cancer has an individual genetic profile, which therefore makes finding cures very difficult.
Myth 9: Cancer treatments kill more than they help.
Cancer treatment, whether it be chemotherapy, surgery or radiation therapy is no joke. Side effects can be very serious, and this is because a method of treating cancer has not yet been discovered, when a malignant cell can be destroyed, and healthy cells remain intact.In some cases, treatment does not help and the best option modern medicine is to relieve symptoms and prolong the life of the patient as much as possible.
Surgery is currently the most effective method for the treatment of cancer. Radiation therapy (radiotherapy) is also an important part of the therapeutic plan. Chemotherapy and other treatments, in some cases, can cure the disease, and in others - only help to prolong the life of the patient.
These methods do not guarantee a complete cure, and carry serious consequences for the patient and his relatives, but in most cases the risk is justified. Statistics from the UK, for example, show that 96% of men with prostate cancer are now cured compared to 40 years ago (mostly due to improvements in the drug cisplatin).
Of course, medicine must pass long haul to develop more effective and friendly cancer treatments. Importantly, doctors and patients and their families were honest and realistic in their expectations. In some cases, the best we can hope for is symptomatic relief, and treatment should be directed in that direction.
Myth 10: Medicine has not made any progress in the fight against cancer.
Mortality from this disease is still high, but this does not mean that medicine has not advanced in the field of prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer. If we look at the statistics, we can see that in Europe there has been an improvement in the quality and length of life of cancer patients, as well as an increased chance of patients to be cured.We must recognize that scientists around the world are working every day to make a cure for cancer (and thousands of other diseases).
Estimated reading time: 7 min. No time to read?
A new revolutionary study conducted by American scientists led by Jonathan Middleton, the only one to date, found that sugar is not only a source of “fuel” for an already existing cancerous tumor, but is also the prime mover of oncogenesis, that is, the mechanism for acquiring previously healthy cells cancer phenotype.
A report on this study was published in the medical journal Journal of Clinical Investigation titled "Elevated Sugar Induces EPAC/RAP1 and O-GlcNAc Type Oncogenesis." The authors enter into controversy with supporters of the generally accepted opinion (or misconception) in the circles of cancer researchers:
increased intensity of glycolysis (glucose oxidation) is often the result of an oncogenic process, the growth and survival of malignant cells.
Contrary to this common view, the authors of the new study argue that the activation of the glycolysis process itself is an element of the oncogenic process. In other words, the acceleration of metabolic processes involving sugar, caused as high content glucose, and an increase in the number of corresponding receptors on the surface of the cell membrane - provokes malignant changes in it and the occurrence of cancer.
Moreover, the report says:
on the contrary, a decrease in the supply of sugar to cancer cells in a patient with breast cancer led to a reverse change in the phenotype
This means that reducing the sugar intake of a cancer cell can return it to its precancerous phenotype.
The practical significance of the results of the study for the formation of a diet
The main conclusion of the study is that sugar, which we consume in horrendous amounts (about 72 kg per year on average), is one of the main causes of cellular changes associated with the onset and development of cancer. At the same time, the exclusion of sugar from daily diet and stopping its entry into cells can start the reverse process, that is, turn a cancer cell into a normal one.
According to various estimates, the amount of bread we consume averages about 91 kg. What does this have to do with sugar? The fact is that foods containing refined carbohydrates, i.e. crackers, bread, spaghetti, cereal, are "hidden" forms of sugar. In fact, puffed rice increases our blood sugar (and presumably increases its entry into cells) faster than white sugar. This is also evidenced by its glycemic index. Summing up the annual consumption of sugar and flour products, we get a mind-boggling figure - 163 kilograms of sugar (in the form of fructose and glucose) per year. This provides the ideal metabolic situation for cancer to occur: aerobic glycolysis.
This is one of the reasons why the ketogenic diet, that is, based on the consumption of fats and proteins while eliminating carbohydrates, in both simple (sugar) and complex (flour products) forms, has been found to be so beneficial in most cases. aggressive species cancer, including brain cancer. Purposefully de-nourished cancer cells are forced to choose between programmed death (apoptosis) and a return to a non-cancerous phenotype.
If sugar is white death, why do we eat so much of it?
One of the main reasons for the high amount of sugar and carbohydrates in our diet is that they are addictive. In the first minutes after their use in our neuroendocrine system the rollercoaster begins. The fact is that our brain cannot exist for a long time without glucose, the main source of energy for cells, and begins to “fail” every time the flow of this “nutrient” is interrupted for only 2-3 minutes. On the other hand, endocrine system“feels” the danger of high sugar content, which manifests itself in the destruction of proteins and lipid structures of cells associated with glycation. The blood caramelizes, becomes viscous - in response, the endocrine system secretes hormones such as insulin and cortisol to control sugar levels. Insulin “drives” sugar into storage inside the cell in the form of glycogen and fat, but often it does its job too hard, causing a decrease in the level sugar in the brain tissues. And this, in turn, is accompanied by alarm signals, requiring the urgent release of increased doses of cortisol and adrenaline to raise the sugar level to an acceptable level. As a result, of course, after that, another portion of insulin is released and the cycle starts in a new circle.
This "vicious circle" is the cause of the constant, unceasing craving for "sweet", that is, sugar / carbohydrates, not to mention the property of fructose to irritate the opioid and dopamine receptors of the nervous system like alcohol, as well as the effect of active peptides found in many gluten- containing flour products on the formation of addictive behavior and an almost psychotic desire to get carbohydrates at every meal.
There is nothing surprising in the cancer epidemic that has swept western world. Of course, scientists do not claim that a sugar-carbohydrate diet is the only cause of cancer.
There are a number of other factors that contribute to the occurrence and development of cancer.
- exposure to harmful chemicals
- exposure to radiation
- chronic stress that suppresses the immune system
- vaccines containing latent retroviruses and carcinogenic viruses
- bacterial infections of a carcinogenic nature
- lack of sleep
- deficit nutrients, (such donors of the methyl group as vitamins B12, folates, vitamins B6), which reduces the body's ability to block cancer-causing genes.
Despite the fact that cancer is a complex, multifactorial and almost uncontrollable phenomenon, it is in our power to block one of the main ways of its occurrence - through the mouth. Those who really want to prevent or cure cancer should remember that eliminating sugar is not enough: carbohydrate-rich foods do not taste sweet, but all of them, bread, crackers, cereals, are sure to turn into sugar in our body a few minutes after use.
