Cancer cells mainly depend on fermentation to produce energy and divide, while normal cells rely more on cellular respiration. Increasing cellular respiration, especially in mitochondria and cytosol, can stop cell division of both cancer and normal cells. Studies have found that the sugar erythrose is able to increase cellular respiration in cancer cells through its conversion to carbon dioxide and water without residue, causing cancer cell lines of various types to die at an erythrose concentration of around 4mM, while having similar effects on growth as glucose on normal cells up to 30mM. Erythrose shows potential as a targeted cancer treatment by increasing cellular respiration in cancers to kill them without damaging normal tissues.