A diet high in sugar and corn oil promoted sugar storage in mice.
A recent study from researchers at the University of Kentucky has identified glycogen, a stored form of glucose, as a significant factor in the progression of lung adenocarcinoma, a particularly aggressive form of lung cancer.
High Fat and Sugar Diet Worsens Cancer
The findings, recently published in Nature Metabolism, suggest that heightened levels of glycogen are linked with increased lung adenocarcinoma tumor aggressiveness and poorer survival rates.
Researchers tested the effects of glycogen in mice and humans. Researchers increased glycogen levels in mice through dietary changes and gene modification. This dual approach allowed them to examine the effects of glycogen from different angles.
The mice were fed different types of diets to see how they affected their bodies. The diets included water (as a control), high-fructose corn syrup (a type of sugar), corn oil (a fat), and a mix of high-fructose corn syrup and corn oil.
While both corn oil and high-fructose corn syrup increased glycogen levels in the lungs, after two weeks, the mice receiving the mixed diet (high-fructose corn syrup + corn oil) had much higher glycogen levels and longer glycogen chains in their lungs. Both of which was linked to more aggressive lung tumors when the mice were induced to have lung adenocarcinoma.
These findings indicated that “higher glycogen promotes increased tumour progression,” the researchers wrote.
In parallel with the dietary models, the team also used genetic mouse models predisposed to accumulate glycogen in the lungs.
By disabling the enzyme responsible for glycogen production, they found that tumors grew much smaller and were less aggressive. This suggests that targeting glycogen production could be a potential strategy for treating lung adenocarcinoma.
“This integrated approach allows the discovery and validation of key metabolic drivers” necessary for improving treatments for lung adenocarcinoma, the researchers wrote. Through these experiments, they were able to demonstrate that disrupting glycogen production resulted in reduced tumor growth in these mice.
