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Sugar and cancer............fact or fiction?

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Posted 1/22/2009 10:39 PM (GMT 0)
Despite this generally accepted 'fact', this is a quote from the Mayo Clinic:

"People with cancer shouldn't eat sugar, since it can cause cancer to grow faster.

Sugar doesn't make cancer grow faster. All cells, including cancer cells, depend on blood sugar (glucose) for energy. But giving more sugar to cancer cells doesn't speed their growth. Likewise, depriving cancer cells of sugar doesn't slow their growth.

This misconception may be based in part on a misunderstanding of positron emission tomography (PET) scans. Doctors use PET scans to help determine the location of a tumor and see if it has spread.

During a PET scan, your doctor injects a small amount of radioactive tracer — typically a form of glucose — into your body. All tissues in your body absorb some of this tracer. But tissues that are using more energy — exhibiting increased metabolic activity — absorb greater amounts.

Tumors are often more metabolically active than are healthy tissues. As a result, they may absorb greater amounts of the tracer. For this reason, some people have concluded that cancer cells grow faster on sugar. But this isn't true.
www.mayoclinic.com/health/cancer-causes/CA00085
Bill
Posted 1/22/2009 11:04 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Bill,
It has occcured to me that anything we do to nourish our body also nourishes the cancer cells. They are living tissue and take up the nutrients supplied by the digestive and blood system same as the rest. And as you stated higher metabolic rates mean more energy uptake. I do practice some dietary restrictions as a result of my diagnosis but not overly so. Refined sugar is one of my "no or low" consumption items. I also exercise daily to keep the hormone weight gain to a minimum. That is probably benefiting the cancers cells right along with the normal guys.

Don
Posted 1/22/2009 11:06 PM (GMT 0)
Bill, glad you posted this. My wife and I were discussing some dietary changes for me post PC surgery, and I thought it was suppose to be a fact that sugar and red meat feed cancer, and that stuff made of white sugar was the worse. my big fix is about chocolate and i do like certain other sweets. how can i find out more about what you said? i already don't drink, don't smoke, don't drink coffee, i hate to deprive myself of something i enjoy eating because of a false story or rumor.

david
Posted 1/22/2009 11:24 PM (GMT 0)
Purgatory.
My diet and exercise regime has changed substantially since diagnosis as well. Initially this was in order to lose a bit of weight and to be better prepared for the operation. I have kept it up after the op (Christmas exception of course) simply because I felt substantially better as a result. Red meat is off the menu as are most fatty foods in general.............but heart disease is common in both sides of my family so I regard that as a real plus even if there is no effect on cancer. The only place I use sugar is in the green tea I now drink in lieu of my former black tea preference (although honey makes a nice substitute). I have used raw sugar in my tea for 20 years now (always been a big black tea drinker) and do not like the taste of refined sugar. People are funny with their tastes and preferences .................go figure, I do not like chocolate at all. I guess the motto should be "all things in moderation"
Bill
Posted 1/22/2009 11:37 PM (GMT 0)
we sure are all so different there bill. and i only like good quality high cocoa content dark chocolate, not talking about eating candy bars from the convenient stores. i still have good blood pressure, no cloresteral problem, etc. i wonder how much red meat i should cut back, hate to give up all of something i like. perhaps a small steak once a month, or one good hamburger, not the grease trap places. your point of moderation is good always in life. i like good natural honey, but don't drink tea either. proably 95% of the time, i only drink water. david.
Posted 1/23/2009 3:02 AM (GMT 0)
" The China Study" by T. Colin Cambell has a lot of compelling evidence showing that diet has an enormous affect on both getting cancer and the progression of cancer. There is a huge statistical corolation in the occurance of Western type diseases such as cancer and heart disease and the amount of animal protien that is consumed. I was a meat and potatoe guy all my life and the evidence that my diet was bad was too just too evident to ignore.
JohnT
Posted 1/23/2009 4:13 AM (GMT 0)
I believe diet is incredibly important. We eat a little red meat (steak or lamb) once a week. Mostly fish...salmon or chicken or soup that I make with lots of vegetables and even tofu and seaweed and chicken broth......AND OF COURSE....pomegranate juice and green tea and blueberries!! You know that those three are the most important......I asked at Sloan Kettering why they didnt have green tea with all the other teas to drink in the waiting room....Now they have them!! Diane
Posted 1/23/2009 4:13 AM (GMT 0)
I believe diet is incredibly important. We eat a little red meat (steak or lamb) once a week. Mostly fish...salmon or chicken or soup that I make with lots of vegetables and even tofu and seaweed and chicken broth......AND OF COURSE....pomegranate juice and green tea and blueberries!! You know that those three are the most important......I asked at Sloan Kettering why they didnt have green tea with all the other teas to drink in the waiting room....Now they have them!! Diane
Posted 1/23/2009 4:13 AM (GMT 0)
I believe diet is incredibly important. We eat a little red meat (steak or lamb) once a week. Mostly fish...salmon or chicken or soup that I make with lots of vegetables and even tofu and seaweed and chicken broth......AND OF COURSE....pomegranate juice and green tea and blueberries!! You know that those three are the most important......I asked at Sloan Kettering why they didnt have green tea with all the other teas to drink in the waiting room....Now they have them!! Diane
Posted 1/23/2009 11:52 AM (GMT 0)
Gee Diane, you really like to make your point. tongue
Bill
Posted 1/23/2009 1:38 PM (GMT 0)
What is the real scoop on green tea? I ask this seriously. I understand the blueberries, but how can tea help?
Posted 1/23/2009 8:34 PM (GMT 0)

I'm reading the book "Anti Cancer: A New Way of Life" by David Servan-Schreiber, MD, PhD.

This book is available on Amazon.com. Here is the New York Times review:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/07/health/07book.html

Dr. Servan-Schreiber makes a convincing case for avoiding sugar, the reason being it's high glycemic index (GI). The books states (with research referenced) that the metabolism of malignant tumors is largely dependent on glucose consumption. Foods with a high GI cause blood levels of glucose, and as a result insulin, to rise rapidly. This stimulates cell growth and in turn acts as a fertilizer for tumors. He recommends agave as a sweetener.

I'm not pretending to be a scientist, but the author makes a convincing argument.

As for green tea, the books states that substances in it help limit the blood vessel growth in tumors.

Post Edited By Moderator (TC-LasVegas) : 1/26/2009 11:59:15 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 1/25/2009 6:50 PM (GMT 0)
Link being reviewed...

 

 

 

Post Edited By Moderator (TC-LasVegas) : 1/26/2009 11:46:49 AM (GMT-7)

Posted 1/26/2009 4:05 AM (GMT 0)
Gmike,
No one would doubt the benefits of good nutrition but the problem with sites such as those is that their "evidence" is never backed up by clinical tests, at best is pseudo-science and they always have a product or products to sell that will get you to the "ultra" state.
Bill
Posted 1/26/2009 5:31 AM (GMT 0)
I apologize if I pulled down something that interests you guys...But a critical faux pas was presented. I like to think these 'instincts' are a good thing.

My knowledge of green tea extends to the use of anti-oxidents. There is some evidence there but to what degree, Bill hit it perfectly. We know some good news is developing with pomegranites. Elsewhere has produced little. I asked Mr. Gmark to contact me quickly. If anyone needs to do so for any reason, contact me in my Email and I will explain my decision to delete...I have saved the posts. 

Tony

Post Edited (TC-LasVegas) : 1/25/2009 10:36:13 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 1/26/2009 12:06 PM (GMT 0)
Spam alert moderators..............another piece of slime trying to flog their garbage.
Bill
Posted 1/26/2009 12:37 PM (GMT 0)

I'm with BillyMac!!!

Tudpock

Posted 1/26/2009 1:01 PM (GMT 0)
WARNING: SNAKE OIL PEDDLER ON BOARD
Posted 1/26/2009 1:32 PM (GMT 0)
I've notified the Owner. The poster is putting his link under his signature and that's an area I can't edit out. Only option I have it to delete, but I need to leave it there for Peter to see what I am talking about. I'll kill it as soon as I get word back. He has also posted in a couple other Forums with the same speil.

Notice to howihealed: You are in Violation of Rule #4. Please remove your website link immediately or be banned and deleted by the owner.

: . No advertising or links to advertising or "Spam" is permited (including signatures).

* Advertising or Spam is defined as posting a link for the purpose of selling, soliciting or promoting by someone that has ownership or other "vested interest" to the web site involved, including efforts to promote other online forums or web sites by web site owners.
* If you are a web site owner and have a link that fits into this category that you want to share, please submit it to our resource directory and we will review your submission.
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Posted 1/26/2009 1:47 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks James, these kind never give up
Posted 1/26/2009 3:57 PM (GMT 0)

Hi James C.
I am Emailing you buddy! 

Thanks Team! For the heads up! 

Tony

Posted 1/26/2009 4:14 PM (GMT 0)

Never mind, James C, you already saw what Judy said.  I was going to say the same.  As I posted in the Mod forum, snake oil peddlers get my blood boiling.  I feel like Clint Eastwood when I see them ~ "Go ahead, make my day"...LOL  One of these gentlemen insisted on posting in multiple forums here.  That sure makes things easier.

Tony

Posted 1/26/2009 5:09 PM (GMT 0)
Wow! I didn't mean to start anything like that! I had a biopsy 4 months ago because of an elevated PSA. My biopsy came back with one sample out of 12 being atypical. I've been doing research since then and found this forum to be very helpful.

I was just trying to point out that there are some well respected people out there who think our typical western diet has a whole to do with cancer.


Michael Grimes
Posted 1/26/2009 6:44 PM (GMT 0)
Michael,
Thank you for understanding. I reinstated your post but not the link to the site. As I explained to you in my Email, when a person comes in for the first time and posts links to a site where sales of books, supplements or other alternative approaches, and there is no phone number, street address but a nice location to type in a credit card, I will edit it almost everytime. Because of that missing information on the site I didn't put the link back up.

Tony
Posted 1/26/2009 6:50 PM (GMT 0)
Tony,

Thank you for explaining. I didn't see the post from the other gentleman, so I wasn't aware of what it contained. I've been a bit reluctant to post because I haven't actually been diagnosed with cancer, although the results of my first biopsy certainly point to that direction. My father and his father both had the disease. My doctor told me there was nothing I could do at this point to change future outcomes. I guess reading the nutritional info allows me hope that I can in fact do something useful.

Michael Grimes (who is drinking green tea as he writes this)

Post Edited (Gmike) : 1/26/2009 11:53:01 AM (GMT-7)

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