| Is there a link between sugar consumption and | | | | pounds per year. By 1974, the consumption had |
| cancer? Seventy years ago, Otto Warburg won a | | | | risen to 120 pounds per year. Holy cow – |
| Nobel Prize for his discovery of glucose as the | | | | that's a lot of desserts! |
| fuel that grows cancer cells. In other words, sugar | | | | Nowadays, in the US, the average per person |
| feeds cancer. Ok, this makes sense. All of our | | | | yearly amount is 150 pounds per year. This is |
| body's tissues use glucose for fuel. | | | | NOT including corn syrup and high fructose corn |
| First, some boring stuff. A few new studies have | | | | syrup which is the stuff that sweetens soft |
| followed along these lines and have associated | | | | drinks. The average American drinks 34 gallons of |
| sugar consumption with several types of cancer: | | | | soft drinks per year. Ugly statistics. |
| A study done on women in Mexico linked high | | | | It's also worthy to note that the use of refined |
| carbohydrate diets with breast cancer. The same | | | | white flour started in the early 1800's in Europe. |
| link was made by a study done on American | | | | The rice that is so popular in Southeast Asian |
| women. | | | | cuisine (highly processed) because of its color and |
| A small study at University of Southern California | | | | quick cooking properties started to be widely |
| identified a significant increase in risk for small | | | | used after World War 2. Is there an increase in |
| bowel cancer in people who consumed the most | | | | cancers due to these dietary changes? |
| sugar in coffee, tea and non-diet sodas. (Not the | | | | It would logically follow. Both white rice and white |
| purpose of the study. It was chance finding). | | | | flour cause a blood sugar spike similar to white |
| A Harvard School of Public Health study | | | | sugar. Diets high in white rice and white flour, |
| demonstrated that a diet high in simple | | | | known as refined carbohydrates are associated |
| carbohydrate foods such as white rice, white | | | | with increased incidence of Type II Diabetes. Not |
| bread and white potatoes increased risk of | | | | to mention the nutritional value is very poor |
| pancreatic cancer in overweight and sedentary | | | | because of processing. It is known that the fiber |
| women. Besides cigarette smoking, this is the first | | | | that is in brown rice and brown flour has |
| risk factor identified with pancreatic cancer. | | | | protective effect against certain cancers including |
| Colorectal cancer risk has been linked to higher | | | | pancreatic and…Type II diabetes. Hmmm. |
| insulin levels, as well. | | | | More and more, nutritionally oriented doctors are |
| This pancreatic cancer study findings make sense. | | | | saying to cancer patients that cutting down on |
| The pancreas produces insulin – the | | | | sugar and refined carbohydrates could slow the |
| hormone that helps the body utilize blood glucose. | | | | growth of the cancer (given that "sugar fuels |
| Overweight people tend to be "insulin resistant". | | | | cancer"). But the real science is not concrete |
| This means the pancreas works harder producing | | | | enough for the medical community to say |
| more insulin. It's a vicious cycle. Here's some food | | | | unequivocally that carbs increase cancer cell |
| for thought. Cancer rates have increased over | | | | multiplication. |
| the last 100 years or so. Mostly, this is attributed | | | | Since sugar gives you no nutrition (vitamins, |
| to increased cigarette smoking (there's no arguing | | | | minerals, etc) makes the body fat and causes |
| that this is the single most risk factor for many | | | | cavities, it can't be good. Doctors, nutritionists and |
| types of cancers, not only lung), and arguably the | | | | scientists may be divided on the subject, but you |
| presence of more industrial chemicals and pollution. | | | | can bet that I will be eating "brown" and looking |
| Let's look at the consumption of sugar over the | | | | out for hidden sugar in food as much as possible. |
| same period. In 1815, the average per capita | | | | It looks like "the writing is on the wall"…. |
| consumption of sugar in Great Britain was 15 | | | | |