Sugar and Cancer: Is There A Link?
There’s no doubt about it – a high sugar diet is a direct invitation to poor health.
If you think of disease in terms of building a fire…sugar is the kindling that feeds the larger logs of chronic inflammation. This makes it easier for disease to “light up.”
The Sugar-Cancer Love Affair
Sugar deteriorates your health by encouraging insulin resistance, obesity, heart disease…and cancer.
Actually, sugar is the preferred food of cancer cells!
To make matters worse, sugar strengthens cancer causing factors. It damages your cell’s mitochondria (the energy center) and DNA (how you develop and function). When these critical cell parts are weakened, disease moves in.
Be Proactive for Prevention
The leading causes of preventable cancers are:
- Smoking – first or second hand
- Obesity – caused by poor diet/excess sugar/carbs
A sugary diet can also lead to severe hormonal problems such as estrogen dominance. Having too much is an underlying factor in the development of breast cancer.
So, what’s your ticket to staying cancer free? You bet it’s a healthy diet and lifestyle!
Science Confirms the Truth Isn’t so Sweet
Numerous studies show the heavy link between sugar and cancer.
One study, done at the prestigious MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas, demonstrated just how sugar accelerates cancer growth. This study on mice determined that fructose increased breast tumor growth and promoted the spread of cancer to other body parts. Even worse, it wasn’t just a few mice that were doomed – but 58% of them!
Further research shows that sugar stimulates cancer promoting signaling pathways.
This basically means that sugar teams up with cancer cells to help them communicate and take control.
By the way, fructose is a natural sugar found in fruits, some vegetables and honey. It’s also made into sweeteners like table sugar or high fructose corn syrup. Don’t let the word “natural” fool you though. Your health depends on really restricting fructose in your diet. Avoid eating too many high sugar fruits and look out for added sugar on labels.
Minimize Your Risk
The dramatic rise in cancer rates is not shocking when you consider the massive amount of sugar hidden in food products.
If you don’t read labels and know all of the sugar aliases, chances are you’re consuming much more than you think.
Tips for Reducing Sugar:
- Eliminate grains
- Avoid liquid sugar – soda, juice, energy drinks, alcohol
- ALWAYS check labels – sugar goes by lots of names
- Adapt a low carb diet
- Skip processed foods
- Eat plenty of healthy fat – salmon, avocado, coconut
- Don’t overeat protein – your body converts excess to sugar (aim for 3 to 6 oz. per meal).
- Use these healthy sugar alternatives
- Monk fruit
- Stevia
- Xylitol – small amounts
Awareness Elevates Your Health
As more and more sugar is dumped into our food supply, you need to stay aware.
Sadly, even the food and drinks that healthcare facilities serve to chemotherapy patients are saturated with sugar.
The average American consumes 150 pounds of sugar per year! Cutting back on ANY amount can only help! Start by implementing ONE of my sugar reducing tips that seems easiest for you. Then, every month or two weeks (or sooner if you can), follow another tip.
This is how you “build” your health, one step at a time.
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