SUGAR COATED SHIT

Good afternoon friends.

I decided on this post because it occurred to me a while back that in the almost two years since consulting with my oncologist she has never offered/introduced a specific diet that I should follow. Nor has she ever asked me to quit smoking. Quitting has been a challenge everyday. No one knows better than I do how stupid it is to have cancer and smoke. I've made many attempts to quit, and although I've cut back (from 1pk. a day to 1pk. every 3 days) I continue the struggle to stop completely. The point is, my belief for her reason in not doing so, is because she doesn't think it will matter ultimately. "Enjoy while you're here" type mindset. She's a wonderful doctor and doesn't sugar coat anything.

I have never been a big consumer of sweets pre-diagnosis. I'd indulge in a candy bar once in a while, desserts on holidays, and well, mountain dew with my vodka. But other than that, I've never had a sweet tooth. Well, I am telling you that since surgery and healing I can't get enough of the junk. I mean, all day long people. It's ridiculous. From doughnuts, to cakes, pies, candy, ice cream(which I hardly ever touched) are part of my daily diet. They say cancer feeds on sugar. That's a scary thought considering how much I shove in my mouth. There are little known facts on the link between the two, but I was able to find some information that I have included at the end of this post.

I'm curious if any of my cancer colleagues out there are struggling with the sugar craze? Is it just me?
The conundrum is this: do we say screw it and continue to treat ourselves with the time we have? Or, give it all up hoping to extend our time? I know it's an individualized question, but my enquiring mind wants to know. I suppose if I knew "how long" it would be different. For now though, I think I'll take pleasure in the chocolate covered sugar coated world we live in. YOLO right? :)

1. Colorectal Cancer in Women (United States)

A study conducted by Harvard Medical School found that women who ate the most foods with high glycemic load – the glycemic index, or GI, of a food gives an idea of how quickly sugar (more specifically, glucose) levels in the blood rise after eating it – had almost three times the risk of getting colorectal cancer in the future, compared with women who ate lesser amounts of such foods.

Typically, processed foods made from refined grains and refined sugar, including candy bars, cakes, cookies and other snacks, are high glycemic foods

“We find a very straightforward and clear association between high-glycemic foods and the risk of colorectal cancers,” said lead researcher Simin Liu, MD, ScD.

This study involved some 40,000 American women.

 

Why Does Cancer Love Sugar? – A Study Suggests Why

A study team at Duke University School of Medicine has suggested a possible reason why cancer cells like sugar so much.

Basically, according to the researchers, in healthy cells, certain growth factors regulate their metabolism and cell survival. When these growth factors are removed, there is loss of glucose uptake and metabolism, and the cells die.

However, they found that cancer cells are able to maintain glucose metabolism by using a protein called “Akt”, which promotes glucose metabolism. This prevents cell death, even when the growth factors are not available.

Conclusion

Refined sugar is devoid of important nutrients, causes obesity, causes cavities, and also increases cancer risk. If you or a loved one are battling cancer, or are serious about avoiding the disease, you may want to take note of your intake of this common yet dangerous substance.

Thanks for reading,

 

Jen

*For this is the great error of our day; that the physicians separate the soul from the body. ~Hippocrates~