sugar avoidance and cancer
I know sugar is bad for us and I've read and agree with avoiding it as much as we can. But I have a dumb question and am curious if those of you who are trying to avoid sugar as well might know the answer. If insulin spikes make cancer grow more rapidly, wouldn't there be a very strong correlation for those who have both cancer and diabetes with worse outcomes than those who are non-diabetic? Thanks for any thoughts you have on this.
Comments
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yes, i think so. i think that is why Metformin is being prescribed as off-label cancer prevention - it prevents your blood sugar levels from spiking.
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Folks,
This site seems to be saying that it is the combination of obesity, lack of exercise and too much stress that causes the insulin disturbance and then an increase in cancer growth. Please tell me if that is how you read it?
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14713323 -
That's interesting. I've always been thin and exercised. Definitely I've spent years stressed out, but the last 5 or so have been much less stressful (until this diagnosis) so I guess I have been fixating on the sugar thing which I know I've been not great with. Thanks for the article!
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K-Lo,
I agree that obesity, lack of exercise and stress contribute to hyperinsulinemia (and later, diabetes) according to that abstract.
Another study published in 2009 and reviewed in an online journal found that there is a relationship between hyperinsulinemia and post-menopausal breast cancer that is independent of other factors such as use of hormone replacement therapy.
This is an eye-opener for me because I have always had yo-yo blood sugar, back to my teens, and especially during pregnancy and post-partum. I crave carbs. When I exercise regularly, I lose the cravings, lose weight, and do not get the sugar lows. I guess I should have been a lot more vigilant about these factors.
(highlights of the conclusions below)the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study.
The new study appears in the January 7 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
"Women with the highest insulin levels had a nearly 1.5-fold higher risk of developing breast cancer than women with the lowest insulin levels, when the women were divided into insulin-level quartiles, according to lead author Marc Gunter, PhD, assistant professor of epidemiology and population health at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, in the Bronx, New York.
Among a subset of women who did not use hormone-replacement therapy, those individuals with the highest insulin levels had a nearly 2.5-fold increased risk of developing breast cancer compared with those with the lowest levels, Dr. Gunter told Medscape Oncology.
the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study:The new study appears in the January 7 [2009] issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
"Women with the highest insulin levels had a nearly 1.5-fold higher risk of developing breast cancer than women with the lowest insulin levels, when the women were divided into insulin-level quartiles, according to lead author Marc Gunter, PhD, assistant professor of epidemiology and population health at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, in the Bronx, New York.
Among a subset of women who did not use hormone-replacement therapy, those individuals with the highest insulin levels had a nearly 2.5-fold increased risk of developing breast cancer compared with those with the lowest levels, Dr. Gunter told Medscape Oncology."
and
"The insulin pathway is "obviously important" in part because the related problem of obesity is so common, noted Dr. Strickler. "The doubling of risk related to a common exposure [high levels of insulin often due to obesity] means that this pathway can explain a substantial portion of breast cancer in postmenopausal women," he said." -
I know there was an article in the last yr posted in USA Today and the like about a link with diabetes and pancreatic cancer. While not the same as breast cancer, it does make you think.
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I put cinnamon in my tea or water just about every morning to help prevent sugar spikes.
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