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Monday 29 April 2013

Revealing the connection between sugar and cancer...again

S.O.T.T: During digestion, cells in the intestine identify sugar and tell the pancreas to release insulin (the hormone responsible for blood sugar regulation). The sugars in the digestive system do this with the use of a hormone called GIP which assists in the insulin release. Dr. Garcia-Jimenez found that a specific protein known as β-catenin controls the ability of the intestines to release GIP and this protein is dependent on sugar levels.

"Increased activity of β-catenin is known to be a major factor in the development of many cancers and can make normal cells immortal, a key step in early stages of cancer progression. The study demonstrates that high (but not normal) sugar levels induce nuclear accumulation of β-catenin and leads to cell proliferation. The changes induced on β-catenin, the molecules involved and the diversity of cancer cells susceptible to these changes are identified," Science Daily reports.

Simplified: increased blood sugar levels could lead to increased production of this protein which is known to impact cancer risk...read more>>>...