Did you know that the food that you eat can be an important part of your cancer prevention plan? Foods that are high in simple sugars like fructose and excess glucose have been shown to increase cancer cell growth, which increases the cancer growth in our bodies.
Glucose is used as fuel for all of our cells, both healthy and cancer cells. Cancer cells, like all cells require glucose (sugar in the blood), however cancer cells use glucose more efficiently and grow more quickly than healthy cells do.
Research studies show that consumption of large amounts of sugar in the diet increase the growth of cancer cells. Foods that are high on the glycemic foods list are three times more likely to contribute to the development of colorectal cancer than those that don't cause a high glycemic load.
Higher cancer rates because of high intake of sugar has been seen for other cancers as well. Women who ate diets high in carbohydrates (62 percent or more) were two times more likely to develop breast cancer than those who had diets that were lower in carbohydrates (52 percent or less). (2)
Fructose is another type of sugar that is found in our diets. Researches found that when pancreatic cancer cells were fed glucose and fructose, the cells used fructose to divide cells and increase in size.
So how do we change our diets to reduce our cancer risk?
We need to focus on food that that don’t have excess sugar and fructose in them
Excess glucose is found in many processed foods including cereals, protein bars, cookies, cakes and muffin mixes, pies, ice cream, soda and sugary drinks.
You might have guessed that these foods would fall on the excess sugar list, however there are other foods that are high in sugar that you might not suspect.
Many condiments like ketchup, barbecue sauce and salad dressings can be contain excessive amounts of sugar. High sugars and, sometimes high fructose, can be found in canned fruits, puddings, spaghetti sauce, frozen desserts and yogurts.
Fructose is found in many fruits here. Some examples of high fructose fruits are apples, bananas, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, dried fruits, figs, grapes, kiwi, mandarin oranges, mangos, grapefruit, pears, pineapple, pomegranates, raspberries and tomato concentrates.
Processed foods may contain high fructose corn syrup. Limit your consumption of processed foods like store-baked desserts, honey and fruit juices. Also avoid sugar alcohols on labels like, sorbitol, isomalt, lactitol, maltitol, mannitol, xylitol or erythritol.
So if you take out all the foods that fall into these categories, what is left to eat?
Whole food diets are the best plan to for cancer prevention. Also eating a plant-based diet has been researched to reduce cancer risk. I have other articles on whole foods and plant-based eating here on EmpowHER.
If you don’t have a personal or family history of cancer, you can eat fruit a few times a week in moderation, as recommended on a Mediterranean-style diet.
The most important take-home from this research is this. Reduce your consumption of processed foods with high sugar added to the foods. That will reduce your sugar consumption and your risk for cancer.
If you need support in creating a whole foods diet, you can visit my website www.HealthyDaes.com
Live Vibrantly,
Dr. Dae
Dr. Dae's website: www.healthydaes.com
Dr. Dae's book: Daelicious! Recipes for Vibrant Living can be purchased @ www.healthydaes.com
Dr. Dae's Bio:
Dr. Daemon Jones is your diabetes reversal, hormones, metabolism and weight loss expert. Dr. Dae is a naturopathic doctor who treats patients all over the country using Skype and phone appointments. Visit her or schedule a free consultation at her website, www.HealthyDaes.org
Sources:
1) Learn - Cancer Awareness. (n.d.). Retrieved February 26, 2015, from
http://www.cncahealth.com/explore/learn/cancer-awareness/cut-your-cancer-risk-avoid-these-top-five-cancer-causing-foods#.VO-OqnbdS18
2) List of Foods High in Fructose. (2014, February 7). Retrieved February 26, 2015, from
http://www.livestrong.com/article/30454-list-foods-high-fructose
3) Sugar Shockers: Foods Surprisingly High in Sugar. (n.d.). Retrieved February 26, 2015, from
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/sugar-shockers-foods-surprisingly-high-in-sugar
Reviewed March 2, 2015
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith