The Sugar-Cancer Connection
This article appears in the January 7, 2016 issue of AICR's eNews.
Does sugar feed cancer? It’s one of the questions we get asked often.
The new 2015 Dietary Guidelines tougher language on “added sugars” andmedia attention over a study have put sugar’s role in our health back in the spotlight. So we prepared this video to provide an evidence-based answer to this frequently asked question.
The new 2015 Dietary Guidelines tougher language on “added sugars” andmedia attention over a study have put sugar’s role in our health back in the spotlight. So we prepared this video to provide an evidence-based answer to this frequently asked question.
The bottom line: every cell in our bodies, including cancer cells, uses sugar (glucose) from our bloodstream for fuel.
We get that blood sugar from foods we eat containing carbohydrates, including healthful vegetables, fruits, whole grains and low-fat dairy sources. Some glucose is even produced within our bodies from protein. But there’s no clear evidence that the sugar in your diet preferentially feeds tumors over other cells.
There is a connection between sugar and cancer risk, however – but it’s more indirect than many realize. Eating a lot of high-sugar foods may mean more calories in your diet than you need, which eventually leads to excess body fat. It is excess body fat that is convincingly linked to greater risk of ten types of cancer, including post-menopausal breast, colorectal and endometrial.
We get that blood sugar from foods we eat containing carbohydrates, including healthful vegetables, fruits, whole grains and low-fat dairy sources. Some glucose is even produced within our bodies from protein. But there’s no clear evidence that the sugar in your diet preferentially feeds tumors over other cells.
There is a connection between sugar and cancer risk, however – but it’s more indirect than many realize. Eating a lot of high-sugar foods may mean more calories in your diet than you need, which eventually leads to excess body fat. It is excess body fat that is convincingly linked to greater risk of ten types of cancer, including post-menopausal breast, colorectal and endometrial.
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