Metabolic Hormone Leptin Linked to COVID-19
The hormone leptin that connects the body’s metabolism and immune response system may explain why COVID-19 is so dangerous for people with obesity. “The problem for people with obesity is that their leptin levels are always high, and that can affect the response to a COVID-19 infection,” said Candida Rebello, PhD, RD, lead author of […]
Insulin–PI3K signalling: an evolutionarily insulated metabolic driver of cancer
…insulin signaling can be seen as enabling tumor development by providing a mechanism for PI3K activation and enhanced glucose uptake. This idea is supported by studies showing enhanced tumor development in humans and mice with hyperinsulinemia, and reduced tumor development in states of reduced insulin levels.
Metabo-Oncology: The Latest Frontier in Cancer Research
There is a new field of cancer research that is only just now starting to take shape but is promising to greatly increase our understanding of cancer and what can influence how it develops over time. This field is being called metabo-oncology.
SDX at AACR: Obesity confers immuno-suppressive tumor microenvironment – Poster Presentation
April 1, 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM 1226 / 4 – A novel polymer-conjugated methionine aminopeptidase 2 (MetAP2) inhibitor SDX-7320 inhibits the growth of EO771 mammary gland tumors and ameliorates the immunosuppressive tumor immune micro-environment (TIME)
Increasing cancer rates among young adults tied to obesity
Rates of six different cancers that are associated with obesity increased among adults ages 25-49 between 1995 and 2014, according to the research, which was published in the journal Lancet Public Health and based on information in the Cancer in North America database. These cancers include multiple myeloma, colorectal, endometrial, gallbladder, kidney and pancreatic.
Dr. Lewis Cantley, PhD on the role of insulin in PI3K resistance
Dr. Lewis Cantley discusses targeting the PI3K pathway in breast cancer and the importance of managing ambient insulin levels during therapy.
Diabetes Increases Breast Cancer Mortality Risk
Women with breast cancer and diabetes have a greater risk for all-cause and cancer-specific mortality and are less likely to receive chemotherapy and radiotherapy compared with women with breast cancer alone, according to researchers.
40 percent of US cancers linked to excess weight
About 40 percent of all cancers in the United States — more than 630,000 in all — are associated with excess weight, health officials said Tuesday, urging a renewed focus on prevention.
The rates of these overweight- and obesity-related cancers are rising, in contrast to the overall rate of new cancer cases which has dropped since the 1990s.
ESMO 2017 Press Release: Abdominal Fat a Key Cancer Driver for Postmenopausal Women
“When assessing cancer risk, body mass index (BMI) and fat percentage may not be adequate measures as they fail to assess the distribution of fat mass,” she explained. “Avoiding central obesity may confer the best protection.”
Throwing oil into the flames
Obesity has become one of the leading preventable causes of cancer. Yet, the mechanisms of how obesity and associated systemic inflammation can promote cancer progression remain poorly understood. In a new study, researchers found that the cytokines interleukin 5 (IL-5) and granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) are induced in obesity and, in obese mice, this leads to lung neutrophilia and supports breast cancer metastasis to the lung.
Quail, Olson et al. used mouse models of obesity, induced by a high-fat diet (diet-induced obesity, DIO mice) or leptin deficiency (ob/ ob mice), to study how inflammation in obesity is linked to breast cancer metastasis.