It’s common knowledge that consuming large amounts of sugar can be harmful to the body, but just how harmful are we talking? A recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation concluded that not only is sugar a fuel source for cancer that has already developed, but it may in fact be a primary driver in oncogenesis – the initiation of cancerous characteristics within cells that were previously healthy.
Wait, What?
Let’s back up a bit. Sugar is a generic term used to describe simple carbohydrates, including fructose, glucose, galactose, maltose and sucrose. Sugar is full of empty calories. It contains no proteins, essential fats, vitamins or minerals. Excessive sugar intake can lead to a multitude of health problems, including insulin resistance, liver disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease and even cancer.
Sugar has harmful effects on the metabolism and elevates insulin levels, which can contribute to cancer. Many studies have shown that those who consume excess amounts of sugar are at a much higher risk of getting cancer, leading to the commonly used term, “sugar feeds cancer.”
A four-year study conducted at the National Institute of Public Health and Environmental Protection in the Netherlands compared cancer patients with control patients. They found that cancer risk associated with sugar intake more than doubled for the cancer patients. An epidemiological study in 21 countries revealed that sugar intake is a strong risk factor that contributes to higher breast cancer rates. The amount of research on the harmful effects of sugar is never-ending, and the conclusions are all the same.
The Importance of This New Research
While we’ve known that sugar is harmful to the body and can play a role in feeding cancer cells, the recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation has taken things a step further. In the study, researchers looked in detail at the relationship between sugar and cancer – specifically, the idea that “increased glycolysis (sugar based metabolis) is frequently viewed as a consequence to oncogenic events that drive malignant cell growth and survival.”
They found “evidence that increased glycolytic activation itself can be an oncogenic event.” In simpler words – the activation of sugar-based metabolism in a cell plays a key role in cancer initiation.
What Does This Mean?
This new study confirms that not only does sugar feed cancer cells, it may in fact create them, causing sugar to be one of the primary causes of metabolic cell changes in the body that are consistent with the initiation of cancer cells. The study also concluded that removing sugar from the diet may even help to prevent or reverse cancer cells
Here’s What You Can Do About It
Sugar has proven over and over again to be a harmful substance to the body in many ways, so the best thing to do is to avoid it. Don’t add extra sugar to your food or drinks, avoid sweets and processed foods, and try to ensure that your family does the same. Sugar is extremely addictive, so cutting back or even eliminating it from your diet can be difficult to do, but it’s clear that your health depends on it.
h/t: real farmacy
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