Like normal cells, cancer cells need energy to grow and multiply. This energy is mostly derived from glucose (sugar found in the blood) and glutamine. However, unlike normal cells, cancer cells use 200 times more sugar to fuel their growth.
For a long time, it was believed that this was simply a distinct feature of cancer cells. But new insights into how cancer cells make energy have led to novel treatments that are more effective and less toxic than traditional cancer therapies.
In particular, metabolic therapy involves following special diets and using a group of drugs called metabolic inhibitors to control cancers fuel sources. These inhibitors interrupt the production of energy in cancer cells, thereby making the tumors weaker and much more sensitive to other cancer treatments.