Sugar does have something to do with Cancer!

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Us alternative ladies have read many time about sugar feeds cancer.  Not causes it.  Just feeds it after we have it in our bodies.  I've even heard some ladies mainstream doctor's tell them to cut out the sugar. I alway said they would not tell us just to stop it, they would have to find a pill first.  See the article below.  This could be the pill!

Metformin Increases Pathologic Complete Response Rates in Breast Cancer Patients With Diabetes
First clinical study looking at the role of metformin as possible anti-tumor agent
M. D. Anderson News Release 06/02/08

Metformin, the common first-line drug for type 2 diabetes, may be effective in increasing pathologic complete response rates in diabetic women with early stage breast cancer who took the drug during chemotherapy prior to having surgery, paving the way for further research of the drug as a potential cancer therapy, according to researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

The retrospective study is the first clinical research observation of the diabetes drug as a potential anti-tumor agent. The findings will be presented in a poster discussion session at the annual meeting at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) by Sao Jirlerspong, M.D., Ph.D., a fellow, and Ana M. Gonzalez-Angulo, M.D., assistant professor, both in M. D. Anderson's Department of Breast Medical Oncology.

Metformin, an oral medication, is the most common drug prescribed for type 2 diabetes; according to Gonzalez-Angulo, more than 35 million prescription of the drug are filled annually. It's most often given to diabetic patients who are obese or have insulin resistance.

The authors decided to conduct the research after a large, intriguing epidemiologic study published last year showed that patients with diabetes who took metformin had lower incidences of cancer as well as better outcomes.

"Metformin has a novel mechanism of action. There have been a number of papers published recently that describe its action through activation of the AMP kinase pathway, which is a cellular energy sensor of the cells and potentially important pathway for the development of cancer," said Jiralerspong.

"The other interesting aspect is that Metformin works by decreasing the amount of insulin- resistance in diabetics and insulin seems to be a growth factor for cancer," said Gonzalez-Angulo.

Using the M. D. Anderson Breast Medical Oncology database, Gonzalez-Angulo, Jiralerspong and their team identified 2,529 women with early-stage breast cancer who received chemotherapy in the neoadjuvant setting, before surgery. Of the patients, 2,374 were non-diabetic, 68 were diabetic but not taking metaformin and 87 were diabetic and taking the drug. The study's endpoint was pathologic complete response, or the absence of cancer at the time of surgery.

The researchers found that the pathologic complete response rates in the diabetic breast cancer patients taking Metformin was 24 percent, three times higher than the rates in diabetic patients not taking the drug, 8 percent. In the non-diabetic women, the pathologic complete response rate was 16 percent. After adjusting for other factors, the researchers found that metformin was an independent predictor of pathologic complete response in diabetic patients.

While very exciting, the findings are still very early, cautioned Jiralerspong and Gonzalez-Angulo, and further investigation with metformin is needed.

"We need to study the mechanism of the drug - perhaps it's the decrease in insulin levels, or it may be that the drug has an anti-tumor effect that we to look at in vivo," said Gonzalez-Angulo. "Our next step is to conduct a number correlative studies to try and further understand its mechanism."

M. D. Anderson also plans to open a clinical trial with metformin in combination with hormonal therapy for metastatic breast cancer patients who are obese. The study will be led by Francisco Esteva, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Breast Medical Oncology.

Comments

  • RobinWendy
    RobinWendy Member Posts: 1,983
    edited December 2008

    Very exciting... my CAM onc told me about the sugar/cancer connection five years ago and I try very hard to stay away from it in all its nasty but good tasting forms.  I'll be good for 4-5 months, then I fall hard off the wagon and cannot seem to get enough sugar.  I'm just waiting for Jan. 1 to come around to try to rededicate myself to eating the low refined carb diet.  Heavy sigh... we have to fight cancer and should not even be able to console ourselves with cookies.  It does suck, but there it is.

    Thanks for posting the article.  I will think about it the next time I reach for the white bread in a restaurant or the ice cream in the freezer.

    Robin

  • jerseymaria
    jerseymaria Member Posts: 770
    edited December 2008

    it does sound wonderful. but i was on metformin long before bc and my glucose levels were and are very well controlled.  i did have surgery prior to chemo due to the size and aggressiveness of my tumor. so i don't know if i would fit into the criteria for these statistics.  2 months before i finished my year of herceptin my mets were discovered so i guess i'm taking all of this with a big grain of salt.  everything we eat ultimately turns into sugar so even eating healthy  won't eliminate it completely.  that's the way i always understood it.  i do however try to eat healthy with lots of fruits and veggies and very little bread, pasta etc.

  • vivre
    vivre Member Posts: 2,167
    edited December 2008

    great article Florida Lady. I wonder why every other disease is accepted as caused by diet, but not cancer? If you have heart disease, you are told to change the way you eat. If you have diabetes, you are told to change the way you eat. So why do they not take diet more seriously for cancer. I will admit that I use to eat like crap. Too much sugar, dairy, processed meats, the whole gambit. It makes sense to me that I was not giving my body the nutrients it needed to combat cancer cells. We all have them, floating around as free radicals everyday. They multiply when we are stressed and subjected to all the junk in our environment. If we make our cells strong enough, they will not turn cancerous, and start to mutate and multiply. When our immune systems are overwhelmed by toxic overload, and we are not giving it the tools it needs to clean our systems, we become sick, whether manifests itself as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, etc. I know I will get blasted for blaming the victim, but I do not feel like a victim . I feel like someone who is learning by my mistakes and is now healthier than I was before bc. Bless you florida lady for continuing to seek answers. You are helping many of us.

  • pinoideae
    pinoideae Member Posts: 1,271
    edited December 2008

    Thanks for a great article FloridaLady.

  • juliebb
    juliebb Member Posts: 140
    edited December 2008
    Suzanne Somers was on Larry King late last night. She has a book called Breakthrough. Maybe it was a repeat but it sounds like a very good book. Thanks again FloridaLady!Kiss
  • pinoideae
    pinoideae Member Posts: 1,271
    edited December 2008

    Yeah but who can access bioidentical hormone replacement?  It is next to impossible to avoid chemicals.

  • FloridaLady
    FloridaLady Member Posts: 2,155
    edited December 2008

    I noticed the more active my disease is the more I want sugar.  I was never a big sugar eater before.  I look back now and see that I wanted sugar really bad the months before I was diagnosed.  I'm also trying to do better.  With stress I want more sugar....  I hope to keep this in mind and do better through the holidays. My taste bids are off and salads taste badFrown  I have always juice for the past year.  Got a set back with my stomach and other issue's and having a hard time to get back on my diet and juicing.  You know what my New Year list will have as #1:-)

    Bless you all and Merry Christmas.

    Flalady

  • ravdeb
    ravdeb Member Posts: 3,116
    edited December 2008

    Well, FloridaLady..i do hope that's a coincidence..your need for sugar. I don't usually eat a lot of sweets..or a lot of anything for that matter..but have had cravings for sugary stuff for a few weeks now..or longer. I am waiting for results of an MRI for a small spot found in opposite breast. You've got me worried! I am assuming it's just the anxiety of waiting...

  • juliebb
    juliebb Member Posts: 140
    edited November 2013


    Summer, here's a link. I stink at links.

    1. http://www.womenshealthnetwork.com/hrt/talkingtodoctor.aspx


    2. Chemicals are everywhere, that's true. I switched to no plastics and lots of homemade cleaners and toiletries. Even my make up is as nontoxic as it can be. My body and face lotion is Organic Virgin Coconut Oil. I have air purifiers and water filters. I keep learning and making changes. Have you seen the breastcancerfund.org and their affiliates? Prevention is lifestyle changes. I even read about the infrared saunas for detox. Dr, Sherry Rogers M.D. highly recommends them. The environment is up to 90% responsible for cancer. I bet the percentage is even higher.


    Edited by Mods to update link

  • pinoideae
    pinoideae Member Posts: 1,271
    edited December 2008
  • FloridaLady
    FloridaLady Member Posts: 2,155
    edited December 2008

    ravdeb,

    Let pray you are just wanting to enjoy the season a little to much. This is NOT a recurrence!

    Flalady

  • vivre
    vivre Member Posts: 2,167
    edited December 2008

    Juliebb, I am doing all the things you are. I now am using almond oil and sunflower oil from the grocery store to combat winter dryness on my skin. I am so paranoid about all the chemicals in cosmetics. I believe in infrared saunas so much that I have decided to start selling them. They are great for detox. As I say this, I am busy baking my usual 10 different varieties of Chrismas cookies. The good thing is that smelling them actually gets rid of m cravings and I give a lot of cookies away. As I bake them, I think of how bad they are, but it is such a tradition. I feel guilty that I am doing this to people I care about!LOL I know that sugar was a huge reason I got bc. I still eat too much chocalate, but I try to use the lower sugar kind.

    Florida Lady, thanks again for reminding us that we need to keep our new, healther habits, even though it is hard through the holidays.

  • althea
    althea Member Posts: 1,595
    edited December 2008

    vivre, I have a neighbor who went through bypass surgery this year.  I asked him what changes his doctors recommended for diet.  None!  I couldn't believe it.  Clearly, not everyone is on board with the power of nutrition. 

    I think I finally have an understanding about the sugar issue.  It sure made my head spin at first.  As jerseymaria mentioned, everything we eat turns into sugar, so it's not like we can truly change our diets so there's no sugar in our bodies to feed a tumor. 

    It's my understanding that it's the insulin response to excess sugar that is the problem.  The corn syrup industry has a campaign underway to convince people that sugar is sugar is sugar.   And if you're looking at it strictly in the context of calories, that may well be true.  The highly refined sugars, such as corn syrup and white sugar, however, enter our systems at high rates of speed, like a sports car zooming to the hilltop. Sugars from more natural sources enter our systems more slowly, like an old pickup puttering up the hill in granny gear.  

    Too much insulin response scenarios will eventually lead to the pancreas becoming fatigued and vulnerable to disease.  I've decreased my sweet tooth tremendously just by eliminating the copious amounts of corn syrup that was in my (former) favorite beverages.  Now that holidays are here, I'm continuing with my tradition of giving homemade cookies for gifts.  The difference this year is organic, unrefined sugar and whole grain flour.  

    flalady, I've been noticing a change in taste in my juice lately.  Do you suppose it's the produce or our tastebuds?  Are you still following the hallelujah diet?

  • juliebb
    juliebb Member Posts: 140
    edited December 2008

    vivre,

    That is so great that you are going to sell the infrared saunas.  I haven't tried them yet. Do you have your own or do you go somewhere for the infrared sauna treatments?

    I think that is a good idea to bake and smell all the delicious Christmas baking smells! That would be satisfying..... honestly, I might have to sneak a taste LOL!

    Have you learned anything about Electromagnetic Fields (EMF's) from computers and phones and even hair dryers etc.? I learned they too can be very harmful to cell DNA. I still haven't bought a protector for my laptop or my cell phone. I did buy a QLink a couple of Christmases ago. I was supposed to ease into wearing it....but I got some anxiety and put it in my drawer EmbarassedLOL

  • vivre
    vivre Member Posts: 2,167
    edited December 2008

    Althea, good analysis about how sugar breaks down. I once had a chemist who sells artificial sweeteners tell me the same thing, that sugar is sugar. I have not had any diet or regular sodas since dx. When I think of all the chemicals I use to ingest, Geesh!  I know the reason I was able to lose weight in the past year (35 pounds) is because I injested so much sugar before. I think cutting it out changed my metabolism. I have no more indigestion. I also do not need those power naps , that I needed to get through the end of the day. My energy level stays even.

    Juliebb, there is so much conflicting info about the EMF's but I do believe that there is something there. My friend was having a lot of health problems ever since she moved here. Every time she went on vacation, she and her family would be well. When they got home, they all got sick again. She had the electric company come out and measure the emf's in her house. They were off the charts! She had to fight with them, but they finally did something to block the path to her home and they are all feeling fine. So there is definitely something to worry about here. Look at how the radio goes crazy when you drive under power lines. I even had trouble with my portable radio while walking around our town until they stopped giving us free wifi.

    As for the saunas, they are small enough to put in the home but a bit pricey. I will be marketing them to doctors, massage therapists, gyms, etc . They are great for injury prevention and recovery, and weight loss, besides the health benefits. PM  me and I will tell you the website so you can read all about them.

    It seems we are all in the same mindset now, with our paranoia. Are you guys driving your family as crazy as I am?LOL

  • juliebb
    juliebb Member Posts: 140
    edited December 2008

    vivre,

    That is really interesting about your friend's home and the illness from the electric co. I believe there are hazards there. I try to unplug the things in the house with the highest EMF's when done using them. I am so driving my family crazy with all this! LOL My husband is an internal medicine M.D., he doesn't think I'm crazy! He is so supportive and I even had him wearing a QLink. He quit when he saw I wasn't wearing mine. My one brother and his wife also got the QLinks with us that one Christmas. I guess we are all from the same mold LOL! I am concerned about wifi and antennas, mobile masts etc. Kids are getting brain cancer more than ever. The pesticides is another thing I freak about. I would love the page about the Infrared Saunas. The other thing that is really harmful, that most often don't even think about is wood smoke. It is more 12X more carcinogenic that tobacco. www.burningissues.org  I volunteer on this forum, it's a non-profit organization that provides scientific studies about the health hazards of wood smoke. People would be amazed at the negative health effects associated with wood burning smoke.

  • juliebb
    juliebb Member Posts: 140
    edited December 2008

    www.burningissues.org

  • FloridaLady
    FloridaLady Member Posts: 2,155
    edited December 2008

    althea,

    This juice flavor thing...I just thought it was chemo.  But maybe it is something else?  I spoke to a lady here in my town, that here family owns a produce brokerage company for over forty years. (I live in a big agriculture area)  She said with all the new regulations coming out because of the tomato...pepper scare last year.  I don't think they ever really know what caused it.  But any way...she said these new rules will increase the cost of product by 20 to 30% this coming year!  Could also cause shortages.  She said these rule do not apply to "importer's" because it is to hard to track if they are doing things right.  This really is scary stuff.  I'm afraid if we can afford eat healthy in the future.  They say MacDonald's is doing a lot of business because it is cheap to eat there.

    Any way... I have notice certain fruits don't last but days after bring them home.  I do wonder if this could be a issue?

    Flalady

  • vivre
    vivre Member Posts: 2,167
    edited December 2008

    Julie, what is a qlink? I will check out the burning issues website. I will not let my husband burn wood in our fireplace anymore.  I am putting a gas burner in it with the colored glass. The last time he had a fire, I could smell it for days, so I told him he has to go outside from now on to burn. We live on 2 acres, so it is allowed because there are not a lot of homes around.

    FlaLady, at least you can get decent produce year round. By the time the stuff goes north it is tasteless. I do not miss gardening in the winter, but I did miss my organic produce.

  • juliebb
    juliebb Member Posts: 140
    edited December 2008

    http://www.q-linkproducts.com/p_how_works.html

    You'll have to drag this to your window...I cannot do links. Look at the celebrities too.

     http://www.emf-health.com/howqlinkworks.htm ....Deepak Chopra is in this article. 

    On this site look at the "Home Protection" products.

    I haven't researched enoughb to see which home products are the best.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_yMw7Ax0eM this is good.   

  • carol1949
    carol1949 Member Posts: 562
    edited January 2009

    Florida Lady and others.  I, also found that for at least one year prior to being diagnosed.... I craved vanilla cake!  At this point, even my oncologist recommends to avoid sugar, but not to punish yourself.  In other words.... If on occasion, you want a piece of chocolate cake, etc.  have one piece... not the whole cake.  Same with a coke.  If you want 1 coke... have it... just don't have a six pack.

    I have always heard that when we crave sugar... our bodies are actually craving protein.  Does anyone know anything about that?

  • ibeejojo
    ibeejojo Member Posts: 45
    edited January 2009

    Here's something that might make you think twice about having that sugar.  When they do a Pet scan they inject you with radioactive glucose (another word for sugar) because cancer cells love it!  Hmmmmm.  I gave up sugar, fructose, etc long time ago.  I don't even do "organic cane sugar".  I will satisfy my sweet tooth with things like organic raisins and raw nuts.  I do use agave syrup made from cactus which does not affect glucose levels, or stevia a natural "sweet leaf" sweetener.  In baking you can use things like applesauce to help sweeten cakes but use the "sugar free".  Forget about the chemical sweeteners!  I also use dates.  Put some dates in a food processor with raw ground almond meal and press it down into a pie dish for the best substitute for graham cracker crust.  Slice a few apples and throw a few in a food processor with a few more dates, some raisins, lemon juice and cinnamon...toss with sliced apples...fill the pie crust and refrigerate.  Raw apple pie to die for........use organic apples cause they are high on the "toxic" list...........enjoy.....Jo

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