Most think of smoking or air pollution is linked to lung cancer risk, but researchers warn the disease may also be in our diets.
Scientifsts, from the University of Florida and the University of Kentucky, found that the molecule glycogen, which stores the simple sugar glucose, could potentially act as a driver of some types of lung cancer.
Glycogen was found at higher levels in human tissue samples of lung adenocarcinoma, the type responsible for 40 percent of lung cancers worldwide. In tests on mice, the team found that more glycogen helped lung cancers to grow faster, while taking the molecule away led to restricted tumor growth.
We know that glycogen comes from the carbohydrates we eat, and is an important fuel reserve in our muscles that our bodies tap into when we exercise. It essentially stores glucose that isn't needed right away.
It's also something that builds up as a result of a high-fat, high-carbohydrate diet. In this study, mice that were fed this diet saw much higher levels of lung cancer growth than mice fed either high-fat, high-carb, or control diets.
https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-discover-unexpected-link-betwee…