These days, added sugars are unavoidable and oftentimes indistinguishable, thanks to cryptic food labels like cane juice and corn syrup.

Eating too much of these types of sugar, however, is one of the worst things you can do to your body. Excessive intake of added sugars poses many health risks, including increased risk of obesity, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and cancer.

It’s worth noting that not all types of sugar are bad: Some sugars naturally occur in fruits and other foods that can provide your body with the nutrients it needs.

Cutting back on added sugars should be one of your priorities if you want to stay healthy. In fact, a recent study suggests that reducing sugar intake could help decrease your likelihood of getting certain cancers.

This finding, which was reported by researchers from Duke-NUS Medical School, the National University of Singapore, the Duke University School of Medicine and the Medical University of Vienna, was part of a unique approach explaining how cutting sugar intake can cause cancer cells to die.

How added sugar affects cancer cells

The paper, which was published in the online journal Science Signaling, presented a novel cell death pathway by introducing how depriving cancer cells of sugar can trigger a reaction that causes them to die. This research builds on earlier scientific literature that indicates that cancer cells that quickly multiply need higher levels of sugar than healthy cells.

In the study, researchers found that in specific cancer cells, the presence of low levels of sugar that are insufficient for providing energy may be used as a method to enhance the survival of the cells. Then, they posited that this might be another effect that sugar has on cancer cells.

They also found that when cancer cells are deprived of sugar, this causes a reaction across the cancer cell membrane and leads to an increased intake of calcium ions into the cells, which causes them to die ultimately. For the study, they used two cancer cells: one that contained extra glucose and the other, which didn’t. Both samples were then exposed to a “two-pronged attack.” The first one was with STF-31, a compound that inhibits glucose transport into cells, and the second one was with thapsigargin, which increases the level of calcium in cells. The team found out the cancer cells that had that extra glucose in them were unaffected; however, those with limited reserves were killed off.

The team believes that this approach can be used in unique approaches to treating cancer. Initial tests in the study showed that depriving cancer cells of sugar and increasing the body’s calcium levels managed to destroy cancer cells while leaving the healthy ones unharmed. Also, only certain types of cancer cells were noted to have lost the capacity to maintain intercellular sugar levels after the treatment. Researchers believe that this only applies to cells that are sensitive to sugar deprivation.

“Because these phenomena are not seen in normal/healthy cells, this inability of some tumors to maintain intracellular glucose levels could be an unappreciated Achilles’ heel that might be therapeutically targeted,” the researchers wrote of the results, as it appeared in Cosmos. “A molecular signature of cancers with reduced ability to maintain intracellular glucose would help develop that strategy for clinical application.”

Of the results, the team plans to conduct further research to create possible treatment procedures from this approach in the future.

Other adverse effects of added sugar on the body

One of the leading causes of the increase of sugar in the body is the consumption of added sugars. Unlike naturally occurring sugars, which can be found in fresh fruits and vegetables, added sugars that are found in processed food and beverages overload the body, carrying a significant risk of disease. Here are some of the other dangers that added sugars have on our body.

1. It contains no essential nutrients. Added sugars such as high-fructose corn syrup found in sweetened drinks do not provide any nutrients aside from calories. Regular consumption of these “empty” calories can lead to significant nutrient deficiencies.
2. It can overload your liver. Sugar is metabolized into glucose and fructose when it enters the body. Added sugars, when consumed, turn into large amounts of fructose, which are turned into fat in the liver. This can lead to fatty liver and other conditions.
3. It can contribute to obesity in both children and adults. Due to the effects of added sugars, the brain feels less satisfied after eating it, which triggers an increased consumption.

Sources:

ScienceDaily.com

CosmosMagazine.com

Healthline.com