# @freeleethebananagirl on Instagram

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DHjqemSTVQp
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/61906024-freeleethebananagirl-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/0d90de3fb9.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-03-23T21:46:30.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Human Frugivore (@freeleethebananagirl) — https://gondola.cc/freeleethebananagirl

## Caption

Do cancer cells really use 15x more sugar?

Yes, many cancer cells consume far more glucose than healthy cells by overexpressing glucose transporters and insulin receptors. But they’re not efficient at using it.

Instead of generating 36 ATP per glucose like healthy cells, cancer cells only make ~2 ATP , about 94% less efficient. Which is huge! Most of that sugar is dumped as lactate, a process called the Warburg Effect. It’s like filling a bucket full of holes - sugar comes in, but most of the energy potential is lost.

According to a study from the Siteman Cancer Center (Patti et al., 2022), cancer cells aren’t intentionally wasting glucose, they try to metabolize it through mitochondria, but get overwhelmed. The system gets saturated, forcing them to dump excess as lactate. (“Sugar metabolism is surprisingly conventional in cancer” – https://siteman.wustl.edu/sugar-metabolism-is-surprisingly-conventional-in-cancer)

In many major cancers like breast, brain, lung, pancreatic, colorectal, and cervical, a more efficient fuel is glutamine. It produces up to 22 ATP per molecule and also supports DNA, protein, and antioxidant production, making it 10× more efficient than glucose in these tumors.

STUDY: 
“To the cancer cell, glutamine is sweet”
Authors: Wise, D. R., & Thompson, C. B.
Published in: The Journal of Clinical Investigation, 2010
Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2952340

Bottom line: Cancer cells crave sugar but use it poorly and don’t get 15 x the energy production from the glucose they uptake. Glutamine is often the real powerhouse driving growth. 

For more sweet information join my 12 month fruit based course and read my books, link in bio. 

#rawtill4 #sugartruth #frugivore #frugivorebynature #fullyraw #glutamine #glucose

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## Tags

frugivore, glucose, sugartruth, fullyraw, rawtill4, glutamine, frugivorebynature

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