Born Smart

In a world where we are still trying to convince people to stop smoking and using drugs the mantra, too much glucose is really really bad for you, can for some sound like the ramblings of a crazy woman, but glucose have already been linked to cancer in previous studies.

Using normal human lung cells and precancerous human lung cells at the beginning stages of cancer, researchers fed the cells either normal or reduced level s of glucose (sugar).   They found the normal cells lived longer and the precancerous cells died when given less glucose.
The scientists also measure gene activity under these same conditions and found the normal cells that received reduced glucose had higher activity of the gene that dictates the level of telomerase.  Telomerase extends the cells lifespan by lowering the activity of the gene p16 that slows their growth.
Gerald Weissmann, M.D. Editor in Chief of the FASEB Journal said “This study confirms that we are on the path to persuading human cells to let us to live longer, and perhaps cancer free, lives.”
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091222105219.htm