Sugar

I have read about that on this site and I ask my oncologist,and he said that too much sugar is not healthy for anyone, but had nothing to do with cancer.

I agree with most, my Doctor just got after me for eating Ice cream sandwiches. I used to eat 4 or more a day. He said sugar was no good for me. Natural sugar better.

Oh yeah, also certain types of sugar are absorbed into the blood stream more quickly than other types. The fast ones are worse for you (refined sugar, white flour, white rice, etc.) than the slower ones (whole grain breads, sweet potatoes, etc.). My opinion is that we cancer survivors should eat low on what is called the Glycemic Index. You can read all about the GI online.
Cheers,
Susan

AuthorUnknown said:

There is a lot of information about the fact that cancer feeds on sugar. There is a book "beating cancer with nutrition" by Patrick Quillin. You can look into it. Or just go to www.google.com and search for "sugar and cancer".

Sugar products generally are not healthy, even for a healthy person.

You should avoid food products that contain sugar. I know that you love these things but I tell you from personal experience that it is only difficult to obstain from what you love in the first few weeks and then your body becomes indifferent to it. I have gone through complete withdrawal from sugar products and tremendous decrease in carbohydrate products like bread, pasta, etc. It was difficult in the beginning, and then I stopped caring for it especially if I don't have it in front of me.

You can have fruits though as they contain natural sugar.

Hope it helps.

How about natural, turbinado, cane sugar? Is it not ok?....same diff as the fructose in fruits...breaks down to glucose...which, BTW, is ALSO absorbed as fuel for 'normal' cells that are struggling to survive during chemo onslaught, too!!!!

One of the first questions I asked my dad's onc was "Should my dad watch his diet and sugar intake?" Guess what he said...that no, he does not have to worry about this. He also said that there is no scientific evidence of a correlation betw. sugar and cancer. Finally, he did say that only diabetics need to worry about their sugar intake. I'm sure none of you are surprised by this response.

Since then, I have done so much research and found that in fact, sugar (the bad kind) is fuel for cancer cells. I can't believe how naive I was about this at first, but then again, sometimes we take what doctor's say as gospel. Never again for me!!! I will always be a strong advocate for good nutrition for me and my family. I also do agree that some of these docs only care about one thing, $$$$$.

Take care,

-Lee-

KathiM said:

But, Susan, if you remember the instructions after the injection....stay completely still until we come and get you...if you move around alot, those cells will 'light up' too on the scan...glucose is the fuel for 'normal', good cells, too....
Tech told me about a guy he told NOT to talk on his cell phone....when he came back to get the guy, this idiot was texting instead....OF COURSE, his hands 'Lit up', and decrease the amount of available rad glucose for the 'active' cancers cells to gobble up!

I understand the theory regarding cancer being a "sugar feeder". It may well also be true. And I think eating on the low end of the glycemic index is always a good idea as it avoids spikes in blood glucose. So, I do this and am sure it is good for me, regardless of the cancer.

But, it is not necessarily logically correct to say that because cancer cells uptake glucose at a more rapid rate than do normal cells, therefore sugar causes / feeds / makes worse cancer.

Kathi raises a really good reminder. All cells use glucose for fuel - all forms of sugar are ultimately turned into glucose. And your body will mobilize glucose from stores in the liver if necessary. They make you be quiet for an hour prior to PET for a reason - because as Kathi says normal cells use glucose for fuel and when they are "active" they use more fuel. So you rest, relax, in a dark room in many places, in just a very pleasant room in other places, in a comfortable chair. You don't watch TV, you don't read, you should NOT talk on a cell phone - instead you keep your normal cells at a low level of activity. And, voila - the cancer cells light up because they are more active, rapidly dividing etc. Immediately post surgery, the area of the surgery will light up even if there is no cancer, because again it is an area of more rapid cellular metabolism. And, as Kathi says, activity, including mental activity, during the rest period prior to PET scan can cause areas with no cancer to light up.

So, avoiding foods that will cause your blood glucose to spike is excellent nutrition - cancer or not - and critical if you have diabetes or hypoglycemia. Aside from limiting hugely sugary foods, combining carbohydrates with protein and fat and fiber (in other words eating a balanced diet) is probably the best way to mitigate the glucose spikes that can be caused by high sugar / refined carbohydrate consumption.

So, balanced diet, limiting refined carbohydrates and high "sugar" items is good nutrition, but no one should thus assume that too many hard candies caused cancer.

It's an interesting topic.

Betsy