There are many differences, but we’ll look specifically at three. These three differences were made known by Dr. Otto Warburg back in 1931. So who was this famous doctor and scientist? Born in Germany in 1863, Warburg was a physiologist, medical doctor, and sole recipient of the Noble Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1931. He was actually nominated for the Nobel Prize 47 times during his career. After winning the Nobel Prize, Warburg was named Director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Cell Physiology. It was there he would ramp up his research in the metabolism of tumors and cellular respiration, particularly cancer cells. He was also known as a good friend of Albert Einstein.
And here’s why the research of Dr. Warburg is so important: It was Dr. Warburg who educated the world on the major differences between normal cells and cancer cells. Doctors and scientists who know the differences between normal cells and cancer cells can better treat a patient who is fighting cancer. And if you desire to prevent cancer, you can use this information to lower your risk as well. So let’s look at three differences between normal cells and cancer cells you must know.
- Cancer cells crave glucose (sugar). This was a discovery made by Dr. Warburg. He was one of the first scientists to reveal that cancer cells have more insulin receptors on them than normal cells and they use glucose as energy. So if you are taking chemotherapy and treat yourself to a milkshake afterward, you are killing and feeding your cancer cells at the same time. My first advice to cancer patients is to cut all added sugar and only eat healthy fats, low-carb fruits such as lemons, limes, green apples, and blueberries, and low-carb vegetables along with clean and healthy proteins.
- Cancer cells can’t thrive in the presence of oxygen. This was another discovery by Dr. Warburg, a cell biologist. This is why some cancer clinics are using hyperbaric oxygen chambers and ozone therapy to fight cancer. Deep breathing and exercise also increase the oxygenation of the body. Dr. Warburg was known to say, “All normal cells have an absolute requirement for oxygen, but cancer cells can live without oxygen—a rule without exception.”
- Cancer cells thrive in an acidic cell environment. Dr. Warburg said, “Cancerous tissues are acidic, whereas healthy tissues are alkaline.” Today, we know that a plant-based diet naturally increases the alkalinity in the cell whereas our fast food, junk food, and soft drink-crazed diet only helps to acidify the cell.
Added to this is the fact that sugar increases insulin levels which promote fat accumulation and inflammation throughout the body. Cancer and inflammation are closely linked. Eating a low-carb diet, getting regular exercise (including aerobic and deep breathing exercises), and eating a well-balanced, whole-food, plant-based diet all help you to prevent and beat cancer.
Trust me, knowing these three differences between normal cells and cancer cells can make a difference in your health.
Dr. Warburg’s research was popular in the 1920s and 1930s. Several decades after his recognition as a Nobel Prize winner, there were doctors who disparaged his research. The interesting thing is that today, many doctors and scientists are giving his research a second look. Yes, today, his metabolic theory of cancer is gaining new interest and more each year.
According to an article posted on the Meyer Cancer Center’s website at Cornell Medical College:”
“Warburg’s discovery, later named the Warburg effect, is estimated to occur in up to 80 percent of cancers. It is so fundamental to most cancers that a positron emission tomography (PET) scan, which has emerged as an important tool in the staging and diagnosis of cancer, works simply by revealing the places in the body where cells are consuming extra glucose. In many cases, the more glucose a tumor consumes, the worse a patient’s prognosis.”
This same article also says:
“The Warburg revival has allowed researchers to develop a hypothesis for how the diets that are linked to our obesity and diabetes epidemics — specifically, sugar-heavy diets that can result in permanently elevated levels of the hormone insulin — may also be driving cells to the Warburg effect and cancer.”
The insulin hypothesis can be traced to the research of Lewis Cantley, the director of the Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medical College. In the 1980s, Cantley discovered how insulin, which is released by the pancreas and tells cells to take up glucose, influences what happens inside a cell. Cantley now refers to insulin and a closely related hormone, IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1), as “the champion” activators of metabolic proteins linked to cancer. He’s beginning to see evidence, he says, that in some cases, “It really is insulin itself that’s getting the tumor started.”
One way to think about the Warburg Effect, says Cantley, is as the insulin, or IGF-1, signaling pathway “gone awry — it’s cells behaving as though insulin were telling it to take up glucose all the time and to grow.” Cantley, who avoids eating sugar as much as he can, is currently studying the effects of diet on mice that have the mutations that are commonly found in colorectal and other cancers. He says that the effects of a sugary diet on colorectal, breast, and other cancer models “looks very impressive” and “rather scary.”
Dr. Robert Elliott, the surgeon, oncologist, and medical researcher who wrote commentary in my book “Unleash Your God-given Healing” said this in my book:
“Maintaining proper nutrition is extremely important while undergoing cancer treatment. Intake of carbohydrates should be restricted whenever disease is present in the body. Consuming fewer carbohydrates decreases the glycolytic metabolism of cancer cells known as the “Warburg Effect” and promotes chemosensitivity. Cancer is a metabolic disease and decreasing cancer cell metabolism is important.”
Many nutritionists and doctors are now saying, “Add excess sugar to any health problem and it gets worse.” I’ve certainly found this to be true as someone who has to watch her carbs like a hawk.
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For Your Health,
Ginny
Ginny Dent Brant is a speaker and writer who grew up in the halls of power in Washington, DC. She has battled cancer, ministered around the world, and served on the front lines of American culture as a counselor, educator, wellness advocate, and adjunct professor. Brant’s award-winning book, Finding True Freedom: From the White House to the World, was endorsed by Chuck Colson and featured in many TV and media interviews. Unleash Your God-Given Healing: Eight Steps to Prevent and Survive Cancer was released in May 2020 after her journey with cancer and was recently awarded the First Place Golden Scrolls Award for Memoirs, and Second Place in both Selah Awards for Memoirs and Director’s Choice Award for Nonfiction at the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writer’s Conference. It recently received the Christian Authors Network’s (CAN) Gold Award for Excellence in Marketing for reaching 62.5 million people with a message of cancer prevention and survival. It was written with commentary from an oncologist and was featured on CBN’s Healthy Living Show, Atlanta Live, and CTN’s Homekeepers along with over 75 media outlets. Learn more and cancer and wellness prevention blog and book information at www.ginnybrant.com.
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