Link between obesity and cancer is studied

University of Alberta Associate Professor Richard Lamb said he is studying a cell pathway in the human body that regulates cell growth. Lamb and his research group say they've discovered the pathway can be affected by sources not within the cell, specifically amino acid nutrients that are the building blocks of tissue and muscle in the human body.

The scientists say what makes their study interesting is that the amino acids are found to be elevated in obese people, suggesting the signaling pathway, called mTOR, could be hyperactivated by the heightened amino acid nutrients and that could affect how human cells respond to stress and disease.

Lamb said he and his team will now investigate whether cancer cells are aided by the potential hyperactivity of the pathway.

The research appears in the journal Molecular Cell.

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