Eating better makes you breathe easier?

Study suggests link between diet and lung cancer

In the case of cancer of organs such as the liver, the long-term effects of our diet have been well studied – so much so that we have recommendations regarding the consumption of red meat, wine and other delicacies.

A new study by researchers at Florida Health Sciences University looks at another organ where cancer risk may be affected by poor diet: the lungs. The study was conducted in collaboration with the University of Kentucky’s Markey Cancer Center and the University of Florida Cancer Center.

The results of the study are published in the journal Nature Metabolism.

“Lung cancer has not traditionally been considered a diet-related disease,” says Ramon Sun, PhD, associate professor and director of the UF Center for Advanced Spatial Biomolecular Research. -Diseases such as pancreatic cancer or liver cancer, yes. But when it comes to lung cancer, the idea that diet may play a role is rarely discussed.”

Researchers conducted the first study of the link between lung cancer and poor diet at an NCI-designated cancer center.

The team used a high-content spatial metabolomics platform created by Sun 2020.

“This platform offered a new perspective for disease visualization, allowing researchers to see previously undiscovered molecular patterns and interactions with remarkable detail and depth of understanding,” says Sun.

In the case of lung adenocarcinoma, a cancer that accounts for 40% of lung cancer diagnoses worldwide, the work was based on a 20-year study of an ultra-rare disease called Lafora’s disease.

This neurological disorder has a devastating trajectory. For ten years, patients develop seemingly normally, and then they develop epilepsy. Dementia then sets in, and most patients die before they reach the age of 25.

The new study builds on how Lafora’s disease develops and focuses on the accumulation of glycogen. This molecule, made up of glucose, or simple sugar, accumulates in large amounts in various cancers and other diseases.

Using laboratory and computer models of glycogen stores in the lungs, researchers have shown that in lung cancer, glycogen acts as an oncogenic metabolite, akin to a “giant lollipop for cancer sweet tooth.”

The more glycogen in cancer cells, the bigger and stronger the tumor grows. When scientists fed mice a high-fat, high-fructose Western diet that increased the amount of glycogen in the blood, the lung tumors grew. When glycogen levels decreased, tumor growth also stopped.

In short, the typical Western diet increases glycogen levels, and glycogen feeds lung cancer tumors, providing them with building blocks for growth. According to Sun, glycogen is an “exceptionally good predictor” of tumor growth and death in lung cancer patients.

While this is one of the first times lung cancer has been linked to nutrition, it is far from the first study to make nutrition a focus in cancer prevention and treatment.

“In the long term, our approach to cancer prevention should replicate the success of the anti-smoking campaign – focusing more on public awareness and principles-based strategies that promote healthier eating as a key component of disease prevention,” says Sun.

Another benefit of focusing on glycogen is the variety of treatment options available. There are currently three types of medications that target glycogen levels, all of which were developed to study Lafora’s disease.

The scientists’ conclusion is not unlike what you’ve probably heard at the dinner table.

“Prioritizing nutrient-rich foods, an active lifestyle, and minimal alcohol consumption should be fundamental strategies for long-term health,” the researchers said. -Maintaining a healthy diet can be a powerful tool in lung cancer prevention.”

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Published: 18.03.2025

Updated: 17.03.2025

Medical author, Medical editor:

Stepan Yuk

Medical expert:

PhD. Olexandr Voznyak