Latest news with #AbbyOveracre
UPI
7 days ago
- Health
- UPI
Artificial sweetener sucralose may disrupt cancer treatment
Aug. 4 (UPI) -- Findings from a study in mice suggest that using a common artificial sweetener, sucralose, could hamper certain immunotherapy treatments in cancer patients. However, for folks reluctant to give up the ubiquitous sweetener, the same team of scientists may have found a way around the problem: Giving mice a supplement that boosts levels of the natural amino acid arginine appeared to negate the effect. "It's easy to say, 'Stop drinking diet soda,' but when patients are being treated for cancer, they are already dealing with enough, so asking them to drastically alter their diet may not be realistic," said study lead author Abby Overacre, an assistant professor of immunology at the University of Pittsburgh. "We need to meet patients where they are. That's why it's so exciting that arginine supplementation could be a simple approach to counteract the negative effects of sucralose on immunotherapy," she said. Her team published its findings Wednesday in Cancer Discovery. Just how might sucralose disrupt cancer immunotherapies? These treatments include powerful "immune checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapies," such as anti-PD1. This treatment works by boosting the activity of key immune system cells called T cells. T cells need arginine to function effectively if they aim to kill cancer cells, the researchers explained. In the mouse experiments, mice bred to have cancers such as adenocarcinoma or melanoma experienced a shift in their gut microbiomes when sucralose was added to their diets. This led to a flourishing of certain gut bacteria that break down arginine, depleting levels of the amino acid. "When arginine levels were depleted due to sucralose-driven shifts in the microbiome, T cells couldn't function properly," Overacre explained in a university news release. "As a result, immunotherapy wasn't as effective in mice that were fed sucralose." Mice who'd been placed an an anti-PD1 immunotherapy but given sucralose ended up having larger tumors and poorer cancer survival versus those unexposed to sucralose, the team found. But there was a solution: When the researchers gave the mice the supplements arginine or citruline, the potency of immunotherapy returned to normal levels. Of course, experiments in mice don't always pan out in people. However, a follow-up study in cancer patients appeared to support findings observed in mice. The same research team tracked outcomes for 132 patients with either advanced melanomas or lung cancers who had received anti-PD1 immunotherapy alone or in combination with chemotherapy. "We found that sucralose impeded the effectiveness of immunotherapies across a range of cancer types, stages and treatment modalities," said study senior author Dr. Diwakar Davar. "These observations raise the possibility of designing prebiotics, such as targeted nutrient supplementation for patients who consume high levels of sucralose," said Davar, an associate professor of medicine at the university. He said a trial is planned to test the effectiveness of citrulline supplementation in reversing the detrimental effects of sucralose on cancer immunotherapy. As Davar noted, citrulline is thought to boost arginine levels more than giving arginine itself. More information Find out more about anti-PD1 therapies at the U.S. National Cancer Institute. Copyright © 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Time of India
02-08-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Artificial sweetener consumption linked to less effective cancer treatment
London: In patients with melanoma or non-small cell lung cancer, consuming high levels of the artificial sweetener sucralose contributes to diminished responses to immunotherapy and poorer survival, researchers reported in Cancer Discovery. When the researchers had 132 patients with advanced melanoma or non-small cell lung cancer answer detailed diet history questionnaires, they found that high consumption of sucralose was linked with lower effectiveness of immunotherapies across a range of cancer types, stages and treatment methods. In experiments with mice, the researchers found that sucralose shifts the composition of microbes in the intestines, increasing bacterial species that degrade arginine, an amino acid that is essential for key immune cells called T cells. "When arginine levels were depleted due to sucralose-driven shifts in the microbiome, T cells couldn't function properly," study leader Abby Overacre of the University of Pittsburgh said in a statement. "As a result, immunotherapy wasn't as effective in mice that were fed sucralose." Laying the groundwork for a solution to the problem, the same researchers also found in the mice that supplements that boosted levels of arginine mitigated the negative effects of sucralose on immunotherapy, an approach they now hope to test in humans. "It's easy to say, 'Stop drinking diet soda,' but when patients are being treated for cancer, they are already dealing with enough, so asking them to drastically alter their diet may not be realistic," Overacre said. "That's why it's so exciting that arginine supplementation could be a simple approach to counteract the negative effects of sucralose on immunotherapy." LOW-GRADE IS NOT THE SAME AS LOW-RISK IN PROSTATE CANCER A low-grade prostate tumor is not necessarily low-risk, new research suggests. Biopsy results showing low-grade prostate cancers can sometimes lead to underestimation of disease risk and omission of surgery or radiation in patients who might benefit from such treatments, researchers warned in JAMA Oncology. Among roughly 117,000 men in their study with prostate biopsy results indicating a Grade Group 1, or GG1, tumor - the slowest-growing kind - one in six had intermediate- or high-risk cancer when other factors such as prostate-specific antigen levels in the blood and tumor sizes were also considered, according to the report. Such higher risk cancers are often treated with radiation therapy or removal of the prostate, the researchers noted. "We don't want to miss aggressive cancers that initially present as Grade Group 1 on biopsy," study coauthor Dr. Bashir Al Hussein of Weill Cornell Medicine said in a statement. "Such underestimation of risk could lead to undertreatment and poor outcomes." Current guidelines that advise regular monitoring - rather than treatment - for men with low-grade prostate tumors were based on studies that examined entire prostate glands after removal from patients. Biopsies test only small areas of the prostate, so they can miss more advanced or aggressive cancer cells, providing an incomplete picture, the researchers said. Some cancer experts have been suggesting recently that GG1 tumors are so slow-growing that they shouldn't even be considered malignant. The new study results could help inform those discussions, the researchers said. "There is a misunderstanding that low grade and low risk are the same," study coauthor Dr. Jonathan Shoag of Case Western Reserve University said in a statement. "Here, we show clearly that they are not." (To receive the full newsletter in your inbox for free sign up here)
Straits Times
02-08-2025
- Health
- Straits Times
Artificial sweetener consumption linked to less effective cancer treatment: Study
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox In the study, high consumption of sucralose was linked with lower effectiveness of immunotherapies across a range of cancer types, stages and treatment methods. In patients with melanoma or non-small cell lung cancer, consuming high levels of the artificial sweetener sucralose contributes to diminished responses to immunotherapy and poorer survival, researchers reported in Cancer Discovery. When the researchers had 132 patients with advanced melanoma or non-small cell lung cancer answer detailed diet history questionnaires, they found that high consumption of sucralose was linked with lower effectiveness of immunotherapies across a range of cancer types, stages and treatment methods. In experiments with mice, the researchers found that sucralose shifts the composition of microbes in the intestines, increasing bacterial species that degrade arginine, an amino acid that is essential for key immune cells called T cells. 'When arginine levels were depleted due to sucralose-driven shifts in the microbiome, T cells couldn't function properly,' study leader Abby Overacre of the University of Pittsburgh said in a statement. 'As a result, immunotherapy wasn't as effective in mice that were fed sucralose.' Laying the groundwork for a solution to the problem, the same researchers also found in the mice that supplements that boosted levels of arginine mitigated the negative effects of sucralose on immunotherapy, an approach they now hope to test in humans. 'It's easy to say 'stop drinking diet soda', but when patients are being treated for cancer, they are already dealing with enough, so asking them to drastically alter their diet may not be realistic,' Assistant Professor Overacre said. 'That's why it's so exciting that arginine supplementation could be a simple approach to counteract the negative effects of sucralose on immunotherapy.' REUTERS
Straits Times
02-08-2025
- Health
- Straits Times
Artificial sweetener consumption linked to less effective cancer treatment
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox High consumption of sucralose was linked with lower effectiveness of immunotherapies across a range of cancer types, stages and treatment methods. In patients with melanoma or non-small cell lung cancer, consuming high levels of the artificial sweetener sucralose contributes to diminished responses to immunotherapy and poorer survival, researchers reported in Cancer Discovery. When the researchers had 132 patients with advanced melanoma or non-small cell lung cancer answer detailed diet history questionnaires, they found that high consumption of sucralose was linked with lower effectiveness of immunotherapies across a range of cancer types, stages and treatment methods. In experiments with mice, the researchers found that sucralose shifts the composition of microbes in the intestines, increasing bacterial species that degrade arginine, an amino acid that is essential for key immune cells called T cells. 'When arginine levels were depleted due to sucralose-driven shifts in the microbiome, T cells couldn't function properly,' study leader Abby Overacre of the University of Pittsburgh said in a statement. 'As a result, immunotherapy wasn't as effective in mice that were fed sucralose.' Laying the groundwork for a solution to the problem, the same researchers also found in the mice that supplements that boosted levels of arginine mitigated the negative effects of sucralose on immunotherapy, an approach they now hope to test in humans. 'It's easy to say, 'Stop drinking diet soda,' but when patients are being treated for cancer, they are already dealing with enough, so asking them to drastically alter their diet may not be realistic,' Overacre said. 'That's why it's so exciting that arginine supplementation could be a simple approach to counteract the negative effects of sucralose on immunotherapy.' REUTERS
