Hep C and sugar

Prior to dx I have been on a low carb diet for years.

Since dx I now focus on more complex carbs.

A nurse told me that HepC virus loves sugar and it stuck with me

since I have been watching my carbs for year.

Is there any connection between viral replication and sugar ?

I know cancer cells love sugar and maybe that is what the nurse got wrong ?

[tashka]

It is true that cancer cells thrive on sugar-just like any other cells or bacteria they love glucose. Because cancer cells grow and multiply very fast, they need a lot of energy that is obtained from sugar.

I did see information that hepatitis C virus needs iron to replicate. That is why patients with HCV should avoid iron supplements. But I don't think that sugar can boost hepatitis C virus in any way. Viruses don't need nutrition of any kind. Technically, viruses are not even a live matter-that is why it is so hard to kill them. The only thing that the virus needs to survive and to replicate is the cell of the host.

[Bali05]

how can you kill something that isn`t alive ?

even with natural killer cells

[tashka]

That is the whole problem.

I think "elimination", not "killing" is a better word to use in relation to the virus.

[Bali05]

you just made me feel a little better

kind of helps knowing what is in my system causing harm

is not alive.

[hcvJames]

You have a good question there. Sans the explanation, among the things I was told to restrict was sugar.

http://www.hepatitis-central.com/mt/archives/2009/10/the_not-so-swee.html

The money line is .. "Since rapid rises in blood sugar encourages inflammation throughout the body - including the liver - those with chronic Hepatitis C can slow down their progression of liver disease by being cautious with their sugar intake."

http://www.janis7hepc.com/Nutrition/hepatitis_c_diet.htm

A page about diet ...

Hopefully someone will chime in and add more detail to our education.

All the very best.

[CoWriter]

In cellular metabolism, glucose (sugar) can be converted into fatty acids. Many viruses use these fatty acids to build their viral envelopes, or outer coatings, which help the viruses penetrate and infect human cells.

When the Hepatitis C virus gets into your body, it tries to increase your metabolism so that it can reproduce more quickly by using fatty acids to build protective outer coatings which will help it penetrate and infect your liver cells.

And one of the ways to create more glucose that can be converted into fatty acids, is by making you INSULIN RESISTANT and eventually turning you into a DIABETIC.

And being INSULIN RESISTANT or DIABETIC, lowers your chances of treatment success.

When your blood sugar is high, your pancreas has to produce bigger amounts of insulin.....and insulin, makes interferon ineffective.

You mentioned on another post that you're not checking your blood sugar fasting.  I would change that.

Co

[Bali05]

If I were to check my blood sugar of course I would need to fast.

How often do you check glucose ?

[jusjames]

google

[willing]

two questions, one for Co, one for all.

all: I was wondering  about that recently released HALT-C data analysis
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20156586

According to their data there was a mean drop in HOMA of more than 2 units among those who got to und by w24 - the implication being that eliminating VL yields a huge change in the insulin balance, regardless of SVR. They don't  give the initial HOMA stats and I can't get to the full text, but was wondering whether anyone  had seen that kind of dramatic drop in their HOMA score either while still on tx or after SVR?

Co: how closely do you expect HOMA1 and HOMA2 IR scores to track? I finally got around to trying the HOMA2 calculator from the oxford site (which I assume implements a more involved function than simple regression) and  noticed the values seem quite different. For  bandman54's values you mentioned in your post  (HOMA-IR as 4.3 from glucose 97 in mg/dL and  insulin 18 in uU/mL)  HOMA2 gives 2.3 - a hefty gap.