Is Sugar a link to Cancer?

Ka-Loni

Hello, I was just wondering if "Sugar" or "Sweets," are linked to Breastcancer growth. I am wondering this lately, because, I am a sweet lover. I love my Donuts, especially the Glazed Krispie Cremes. Ha. Please Help!

God Bless,  

Kaloni

DGHoff

Hi Kaloni,

Sugar is, indeed, quite strongly linked to cancer. In fact, one of the ways that a PET scan works is that cancer cells love glucose (all cells need it, but cancer cells really gobble it up).  So, when you are injected with the radiated glucose, the cancer cells eat more of it than healthy cells and they then show up on the scan. 

The link between sugary foods and increased cancer risk has something to do with the rapid  release of  sugar into the bloodstream.  The consumption of high sugar foods affects the activity of a compound known as insulin-like growth factor (IGF), which is believed to have cancer-promoting properties.

So, sorry to say, the donuts are not our friends.

DeAnn

sahalie

Hi Kaloni,

One of the first things a woman said to me while I was getting my first chemo treatment after "Hello" was "stay away from white sugar"

So I don't use it in my coffee in the morning or for baking.  I don't even keep it in the house.

I use honey instead. 

I think a donut now and then won't hurt you but just remember like DeAnn said "cancer cells LOVE glucose".

I have heard that many times.  

There must be some yummy sugar free donuts out there somewhere. 

Try Whole Foods and see what the baker has to say.

Sahalie

RIV54

I've heard and been told to stay away from anything white. So I guess it must be so.

LUVmy2girlZ

I have always wondered this myself....I don't smoke/drink and am ER/PR - so its not estrogen driven...but as a "chocoholic" it makes me wonder.

I have cut back tremendously....though I have not cut it out completely.

FEB

Luv, You do not have to give up chocalate. Just get the kind that has little sugar. Look at the intgrediants and make sure that the sugar, is not at tthe top of the list. If you use the dark chocalate that is at least 75% cocoa, it is better. Chocalate is an antiox. so you can have it everyday. Don't worry about the fat, it is the sugar that is the true culprit. It definiitely feeds estogren, which feeds cancer cells. This could be a reason why vegetarians still get BC. They may be eating a lot of rice and pastas which break down into sugars. A prevention diet should be low glycemic, and that means cutting out the stuff that breaks down into sugar. Another benefit is that it will make you less likely to get diabetes because your insulin levels will be stable.

So while a little bit of honey is fine sometimes, it certainly should not be a daily thing, because it is a sugar. I take a cinnamon supplement when I do have  sugar because it helps to balance insulin.

I was a sugarholic and I think this was one of the leading causes to my BC. I have since cut it out and lost 30 pounds. I do not even miss it. Not to say that I am a martry, but if I make my family some brownies or a cake, I am content to have a bite. It does not take long to get to the point where just a bite is enough to satisfy so don't give up.

Sher

After my recent low carb diet for 24 hours prior to my PET scan, I developed a HUGE headache which I think was a type of withdrawl.  My life the last year has been an emotional roller coaster and I've picked up bad habits of lots of sugary foods, plus pastas, breads, etc.  I've just been diagnosed with a local recurrence and so the PET scan to look for mets.  Question is, how long does it take for the headache to quit when you stop with the carbs/sugar?  Any suggestions as to if it's better to do it gradually than cold turkey?

 

DGHoff

Hi Sher,

I think you just have to go with what works for you. For me, it was easier to gradually reduce and substitute different foods (ie sprouted grain breads instead of regular whole wheat bread). I really found how addictive refined sugar is when I drastically cut it out of my diet. I craved it like crazy. But, it didn't take too long for it to subside. However, if I have a little bit, I start to crave it again.  I try to just stick with a square or two of 70% chocolate a few times a week. Now that I eat so little sugar, I find I get a headache when I do eat it!

DeAnn 

Belinda44

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DGHoff

Hi Serene,

Congrats on finishing Herceptin treatment! I'm still on Herceptin for about four more months myself. Can't wait for it all to be over, but at least for me Herceptin is easy compared to chemo! By drastically cutting out sugar I mean refined sugar. Basically, I really don't eat any kind of packaged foods anymore or at least very limited. I try to avoid anything made with high fructose corn syrup, white sugar, etc,  I do shop mostly at my natural foods coop, but it seems like it is getting easier to find more natural versions of things even at major grocery stores.  I've cut way back on grains too and eat primarily sprouted grain bread (Ezekiel brand is pretty easy to find) and maybe some Ak-Mak crackers once in awhile. I'll still eat an occasional piece of pizza (heck, I'm no saint!), but I always have an enormous green salad along with it now. 

To be honest, one of the major things that has helped me kick the sweet habit is making green smoothies in the morning for breakfast. Just mix any kind of greens (kale, spinach, romaine, etc) with any kind of fruit in blender (about 40% greens to 60% fruit) and drink. It turns a gorgeous shade of green, but doesn't taste at all "green". It just tastes like fruit.  The greens somehow fill a need that my body has, and I have far fewer cravings than I used to. Except that now I crave green smoothies! Just google green smoothie and you'll find loads of recipes out there to try if you are interested! 

DeAnn 

TennesseeMichele

DeAnn,

Green smoothies-what a great idea!  Never thought of it before.  I love fruit smoothies so I'll try adding spinach to one tomorrow.  Thanks for the tip.

Michele

Anonymous

Since starting chemo, I've been making green smoothies. Only mine are blue. I blend frozen cut-up banana with kale and blueberries. I add apple juice or rice milk or nut milk to thin it.

Belinda44

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SherriM

I've been reading  a lot lately about the relationship between insulin resistance and BC, and so it stands to reason that sugar would be a problem.  I love smoothies too, but I steer away from fruit juice smoothies because of the the sugar (even unsweetened juice will spike your blood sugar).  I've been making my smoothies with 1/2 C organic cottage cheese, 4-6 oz unsweetened almond milk, 2-3 frozen strawberries, 2 TBL ground flaxseed, a tbls of Macrogreens and a pinch of stevia.  The result is so rich, it's like a milkshake, with very vew carbs and an extremely low glycemic factor.  I have one a day.

BTW--I love Ezekial bread, it's pretty much the only bread I eat except on special occasions--but I always toast it at least lightly--it seens to help the graininess.  For those of you who haven't tried it,  it's always in the freezer section.  They also have a sprouted grain corn tortilla that is one of the best corn tortillas I've ever tasted.  Several of the grocery stores in my area are carrying the breads, but I have to go to the health food store for the tortillas.

Ka-Loni

I Thank You so much here. You know, this is a great help for me. Now, see I am a Triple Neg. And, Does Sugar feed Estrogen? I am learning this stuff so bare with me. Ha. I just had a Hysterectomy and No Estrogen here. Or, will my body produce the Estrogen with eating Sugars? The information on the Green Smoothies is great! I have a Smoothie Maker brand new, that is still in the box.Ha. I am going to try them. And, I Love my Coffee in the morning and my Iced Tea. What can I use to sweeten it? Thank you.

   

God Bless,

Love,Kaloni

twirlgirl

Hiya Kaloni!

a great sugar alternative that is all natural is stevia...look for it under the brand name "sweetLeaf"...a tiny bit goes a long way, add too much and it has a funny aftertaste. The liquid version even comes in flavors, like vanilla, hazelnuts, etc. I use it to sweeten my plain yogurt.

sending you good thoughts!

Tay 

FEB

Kaloni, even without your ovaries, your body can still produce estrogens and they are everywhere in the environment and our foods. Although I do not believe in everything he has to say, some of his info is dated, Dr. Bob Arnot's book, The Breast Cancer Diet, does a good job explaining about estrogens. I don't worry about the sugars in fruits because I do not add it to anything. It does not take long to get use to drinking tea and coffee with no sugar. I never touch soft drinks anymore, and this has really helped with sugar cravings. They are  a real trigger, and cause me to overeat.

Thanks to all of you for great suggestions for smoothies. I make them a lot. I buy the bags of mixed frozen fruit and blend them with OJ. Great on hot days. I have tried adding different veggies and the taste is fine, but I am having a problem with the texture. I do not like drinking such thick stuff. I thought about buying a juicer but then you throw away all the vitamins in the skins. What do those of you who do both think about juicing verses blending?

DGHoff

Hi Linda,

I do both juicing and blending, but which I do depends on a few things. Mostly I've been blending because it is more substantial feeling. But I do like a good green lemonade every few days. Its amazing what kind of energy I get in the morning from juicing a lemon, some ginger, an apple, and a huge bunch of romaine and cucumber. I feel like I'm glowing, practically! So, I think for cleansing and sheer power, the green juices are great. But for a meal, I want the blended stuff. Sticks with me all morning, and the fiber is very nice to keep things regular. They say all diseases start in the colon so keeping things from hanging out there too long keeps us in the pink!

You can definitely make the texture of your green smoothies better. Make sure you do the greens first and get them really blended up with some water before you add any other fruit. That seems to help smooth it out a bit. I've heard you can do great things with a Vita-Mix or K-Tec blender, but who has $400.00 to spend on a blender? 

DeAnn  

jason222

Hi,

Do you think too much fruit juice is not good as well? As my mother check her glucose level a day after drinking fruit juice and it is elevated.

What do you think? 

FEB

DeAnn, I am going to try mixing the greens first. Good tip. I just don't like to drink things that are thick.  I kind of have to get it down fast. Not enjoyable. The taste is no problem, it is the texture. I will try it though. I think you mentioned this before, but what kind of juicer do you have?

Jason, You do have to be careful with glucose levels when using fruit only. Try adding some cinnamon and eating some walnuts or almonds with the drink. They will help to balance the glucose and add fiber.

jerseymaria

my comment is only vaguely related but i've noticed something going on with me lately that some of you may be interested in.  i was dx with type II diabetes in 01 after over 5 years on steroids for lupus.  always very well controlled.  lately i had noticed that my readings were getting higher and i was not happy about that.  i (with doc ok) started taking a 2nd pill on days when readings were higher.  then my rheumy found that i was deficient in vit D and went on 1000mg daily in addition to what is in my citracal.  last blood test, vit D went up but still below normal so he told me to take 2 pills daily (now 2000 mg) along with 3 citracal daily.  well surprise, surprise i've noticed since then that my morning glucose readings are always under 100 and mainly in the 80's which is so totally normal.  i recently read that vit D helps to regulate blood sugar so i'm thinking that's why cause i sure haven't changed my diet and i eat lots of fruit and i confess chocolate candy too.  something to consider i think.  i feel that everyone who gets dx with diabetes should have their vit D levels checked.  hope this helps someone. hugs maria oh i forgot, i'm also back on prednisone for joint pain and readings are still great which never happened before.

FloridaLady

When juicing you should be more veggies than fruit because fruit is high in sugar but not refined sugar.  So you need to be careful.  If you use a blender instead of juice you can add more water to thin down your juice this also leaves the fiber in and fiber helps process good sugars.  Newer research is leaning more toward blending instead of juicing.  Go figure... they change so they can sell every a new machine...

Flalady

carol1949

I agree, with the "sugar" theory.  For 2 years prior to my b/c diagnosis, my tryglycerides were through the roof!  Also, as mentioned earlier the PET scan connection.  The person who owned the machine did my test and told me exactly about the sugar connection!  Pretty bad when the person administering the test and owning the machine admits it!

No white sugar for me.  I use Stevia to sweeten anything I want sweet.

Prayers,  We are worthy to be healed! 

Mbhatters5

I'm totally confused about the sugar/cancer connection!  It certainly makes a lot of sense.  I presented the sugar question to my onco right after I was diagnosed.  Basically his comment was that if sugar fueled cancer cell growth then people with diabetes would have a higher incidence of cancer than the general population, and he hasn't seen any studies to support that.  That seems to make sense too, although I'm sure the science behind it is much more complicated than that.  I'm truly starting to believe that there is no rhyme or reason as to who will get BC.  Sure there are things that can increase our risk, but even women who are strict vegetarians, exercise regularly, and have no family history get BC.  During that same visit my onco told me not to blame or second-guess myself for the BC.  It was just what I needed to hear!  I had this running tape in my head wondering if it was something I ate (or didn't eat), or did (or didn't do), or stressed about that could have caused my BC.  His comment helped me focus instead on getting better and getting rid of the cancer.  I do think we should try to avoid refined sugar and processed foods and strive to eat healthfully, but I confess I still have to have a piece of dark chocolate each day and an occasional ice cream cone!  

If any of you have come across some helpful studies regarding the sugar/cancer link I'd love to read them.  thanks!

gscott

If you are a sweet and chocolate lover, the chocolaterave nuggets can actually help and no table sugar. It's all natural. I love them and eat them anytime I crave chocolate or sugar.

DGHoff

Hi Linda,

You asked what kind of juicer I have. I use an Omega 8003 juicer. It juices greens, fruits, citrus... everything. I really like it, and it wasn't outrageously expensive. It isn't even that hard to clean and isn't too loud. I think it cost about $179 purchased online somewhere. Sorry. I can't remember where!  Another great feature is it can make sorbets or spreads by homogenizing whatever you put through it using the blank screen instead of the juicing screen. My five-year-old won't eat much for fruits and vegetables, but he loves sorbet. We just take frozen fruit and send it through the juicer. Instant, sugar-free sorbet!  

My blender is not even worth mentioning. Anybody have a recommendation for a good blender, under $200.00 that can break down greens nicely but that doesn't sound like a jet airplane? 

Oh, and on the question of fruit juices, I've read it is best to stay away from them unless mixed with greens.

LizM

My naturalpath told me only to eat 2 servings of fruit a day.  I make a shake every morning with organic whey protein (from cows not treated with hormones) and organic OJ with calcium plus D.  I have my shake with my breakfast that includes protein (usually organic eggs) and some type of fat (almond butter/coconut butter/organic butter).  If I have only a shake I add 1/2 tsp of cinnamon and 1 tbs olive or flax oil.    I make sure that I have my other serving of fruit after a meal.  Another thing that keeps your glucose level in check is exercise.   

Mary-Lou

  
I'm in trouble!

althea

I have a sweet tooth also, but it's a mere shadow of what it used to be.  It's oversimplistic to say that sugar feeds cancer.  Regardless of what passes our lips, our bodies produce glucose from whatever we eat.  So to my mind, I have to wonder, how much difference does it make if we end up with glucose no matter what?  I asked this very question some time ago in this section and one of our bc sisters with a background in science explained it very nicely, but now I'm not even sure if glucose is the right term for what our bodies produce. 

I think what does make a big difference is the glycemic index of what we eat, and refined products are not so good for us to consume.  The high fructose corn syrup is especially bad because it's already liquid and catapults itself into our bloodstreams at rocket speeds compared to other choices.  By the time I was nearly finished with radiation, I was unpleasantly surprised to see just how much corn syrup I was consuming.  I was thirsty all the time and either drinking crangrape juice or arizona tea energy drink.  I had given up soda years ago, and I wasn't a happy camper to learn that I hadn't gained one smidgen of benefit when it came to calories and sugar content!  

I started studying labels and eliminated all beverages with corn syrup by the end of 06.  Mostly, anyway.  I was stunned to find how many things contain corn syrup.  I discovered that my craving for candy bars and chocolate diminished as I reduced the amount of corn syrup I consumed.  So that's a gradual way to make positive change in your nutritional choices.  

Then I dusted off my juicer last december and started making carrot juice nearly every day.  Then  I kept reading about the importance of putting in green veggies.  I'm trying to steer clear of using a lot of fruit, because there can be a lot of sugar in fruit, even though it's unrefined.  So far I haven't found a green veggie juice that doesn't send my eyeballs into the back of my head.  lol   

FEB

DeAnn. I'll check out that juicer. I love veggies but I get so tired of making salads. Maybe I will eat more if I just have to juice them. My garden will be producing soon, so I will have lots to put in it. As for a blender, what about those bullet types? I am going to get one of those because I am tired of cleaning the blender. Are you beginning to see the picture here. Am I lazy or what? If it is quick and easy, I will do it more. I do like fruit smoothies too. I buy the bags of frozen fruit and add  a little watered down OJ and it is just great, but the idea of making sorbet sounds even better. I have to start feeding my poor husband more. He keeps losing weight on my diet. Life is so unfair!!!

Belinda44

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