Cancer cells love to “eat sugar”? Authoritative research: Cancer cells love “proteins” more, subverting cognition

“If you cut off sugar, you can starve cancer cells to death!”

Uncle Zhou is 62 years old this year. After gastric cancer surgery, he did not know where he heard about the tumor With sugar as nutrients, eating sugar is equivalent to feeding cancer cells. So he made up his mind to strictly ban sugar.

Rice, high in sugar, do not eat;

Steamed bread, sugary, do not eat;

Fruit, too sweet to eat;

……

Not only that, Uncle Zhou didn’t even dare to eat a few bites of meat in the back, because he was afraid that eating too well would provide nutrients to the cancer cells. Because of the strict fasting, Uncle Zhou finally fainted and was admitted to the hospital again. The doctor said that he was severely malnourished.

Doesn’t it mean that fasting and limiting sugar can fight cancer? Why did you fall first? Uncle Zhou was very puzzled.

In the eyes of many cancer friends, sugar is generally terrifying as a “flood beast”. Sugar is indeed one of the main sources of energy for the human body, which is needed for the growth of normal cells and cancer cells. The support of sugar, but relying on limiting sugar to fight cancer is still a bit whimsical.

I. Authoritative research: Cancer cells prefer protein to sugar

April 2021, International Journal In a study published in Nature, researchers repeatedly performed in vitro and in vivo experiments on six different cancers, including colorectal, breast, and kidney cancers. .

They divided the tumors from mice The cells were sorted, and the average sugar consumption of each type of cells was determined.It was found that the immune cells inside the tumor consumed more sugar than the tumor cells. Tumor cells “favor” glutamine (an amino acid, one of the basic building blocks of protein) over sugar, which inhibits sugar metabolism when eaten.

After the body ingests sugar, the biggest “beneficiary” is actually the immune cells in the tumor, not the tumor cells. Tumor cells “love to eat” protein more. Does this mean that cancer patients should really limit protein rather than sugar?

Second, the question is, should cancer patients limit protein to starve cancer cells?

Song Linglan, an attending physician in the Nutrition Department of Jiang Province Cancer Hospital said that cancer patients often suffer from malnutrition after surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy . Complete rejection of protein and carbohydrate intake at this stage is extremely detrimental to the patient’s recovery.

So, what are the hazards of insufficient protein intake in cancer patients?

1. Side effects of amplified therapy

Malnutrition can lead to resistance to chemotherapy. The reduced degree of exposure may increase the probability of chemotherapy side effects to a certain extent. For example, protein deficiency can slow down the clearance of anthracyclines, further increase the time that the drug acts on the heart, thereby exacerbating the drug’s Cardiotoxicity.

2. Slow wound recovery

High-quality protein in food is important for cancer patients’ health and well-being. Muscle protein synthesis and metabolism can play a role in promoting, and can help repair damaged tissue, especially some patients who have undergone major surgery, more need to supplement High-quality protein to promote wound healing. Conversely, for some malnourished patients, the speed of wound recovery will be much slower.

3. Weakness< /p>

Cancer itself is a chronic disease that will cause great consumption to the body. After suffering from cancer, the protein synthesis in the patient’s body will decrease and the decomposition will increase. >Causes symptoms such as muscle atrophyappear. If the nutrients are not supplemented in time, the patient’s body will not be able to maintain normal operation, and the quality of life will be greatly reduced.

In fact, not only cancer patients need to supplement protein, but also for ordinary people. Long-term insufficient protein intake will also bring some adverse effects to the body.

Three, for normal people, insufficient protein is also harmful

The long-term protein intake of ordinary people is insufficient, which may cause these abnormal symptoms in the body:

1. Muscle relaxation

In the absence of adequate protein intake, the body maintains normal Demand can only break down muscle. If things go on like this, it will lead to weakened muscle tone, loss of mass, and reduced joint support.

2. Hair loss

Thinning hair, brittle nails, and dry skin are all It is the initial manifestation of insufficient protein intake, because the body cannot regenerate cells to replace dead cells, which in turn can cause a series of abnormal symptoms, including hair loss.

3. Poor sleep

If you don’t eat enough protein for dinner, you will suffer The production of hormones is affected, resulting in decreased sleep quality. In addition, protein contains tryptophan, which is conducive to promoting sleep, and taking an appropriate amount of protein at dinner is helpful for improving sleep quality.

4. Pressure Mountain

People will always have various kinds of stress in life. Stress will cause certain damage to muscles and tissues. Without sufficient protein intake, the body will not be able to repair the tissue damage caused by life stress.

There are so many hazards of insufficient protein intake, so how to supplement protein? Maybe start with your diet.

Fourth, how to supplement protein? 5 types of food to eat properly

“Chinese Cancer Nutrition Treatment Guidelines”It is recommended that cancer patients should consume at least 1.2g per kilogram of body weight per day It is best to reach 1.5~2.0g of protein. Taking a 60kg patient as an example, it is best to consume 90~120g of protein per day. These foods are relatively rich in protein and can be eaten appropriately.

1. Eggs

The protein content in eggs can reach < strong>About 13%, and the amino acid composition it contains is very close to what the human body needs. After entering the body, it can be quickly absorbed and utilized by the body.

2. Milk

Milk is rich in nutrients, easy to digest and absorb, and has a suitable composition ratio , which can provide the body with high-quality protein, calcium and a variety of vitamins, and its protein content is about 3%. Although the content is not as good as eggs, as a liquid food, it can easily ingest several hundred grams and is an important source of high-quality protein in life.

3, fish

Fish meat is characterized by low fat and high nutrition. Fish is rich in protein, lipids, vitamins and minerals, among which the protein content is about Between 15~22%, it is also rich in various amino acids needed by the human body, and is one of the indispensable sources of protein in the diet.

4. Shrimp

Shrimp contains protein, multivitamins and calcium, iron and phosphorus and other ingredients, in which the protein content can reach 16~23%. High nutritional value, but the fat content is very low, suitable for most people to supplement nutrition.

5. Chicken

The protein content of chicken is about < strong>About 20%, and also has the characteristics of low fat content, which is the favorite of many fitness people.

Food is one of the important ways for the body to supplement protein. You can choose to eat more protein-rich foods every day. Especially for cancer patients, it is more necessary to supplement enough protein, rather than blindly restrict diet. #HealthStarProgram#

References:

[1]《Cell-programmed nutrient partitioning in the tumor microenvironment》.Natrue.2021-04- 17

[2] “These “Top 10 High-Quality Protein Foods” Let’s see if there is any that you like to eat? “. Xinhuanet. 2020-11-13

[3] “From hair loss to immunosuppression: seven signs of insufficient protein intake in the human body”. People’s Daily Online. 2019-02-12

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