We can greatly reduce the risk of cancer by lowering the added sugars in our die
World Cancer Day 2022: Cancer is one of the most dreaded non-infectious diseases that afflicts mankind, resulting in tremendous suffering as well as mental trauma. There has been much research on the possible causes of cancer. Though there is no fool-proof way to prevent all kinds of cancer, yet we know about many environmental factors and chemical carcinogens (chemicals used in food processing, components of smoke etc that increase the risk of cancers) that are contributing causes.
There is a lot of confusing information and advice about the role of sugar in cancer development. Now every cell in our body uses blood sugar (glucose) for energy. But cancer cells use almost 200 times more glucose than normal cells. They need huge amount of energy to fuel their growth. So ‘cancer cells feed on sugar’ is true. However, does that mean that giving up sugar to ‘starve’ cancer cells can be used as a preventive or therapeutic treatment? The answer is no. The simple reason is that all our body’s healthy cells need glucose too. There is no way of allowing only healthy cells to use the glucose without letting the cancer cells use it. There is no evidence that a ‘sugar-free’ diet lowers the risk of getting cancer or improves the survival chances of a cancer patient. Also, there are no studies that establish a direct link between cancer and sugar.
However, an indirect link does exist. Consumption of high amounts of sugar over a period of time results in weight gain. And there is a growing body of research that supports the idea that being overweight or obese increases the risk of 13 different types of cancer. Fat cells release inflammatory proteins that can result in the growth of tumor or cancer cells. Some studies show that some types of cancer start with high levels of insulin in the blood. Infact, obesity is the single biggest preventable risk factor after smoking. And maintaining a desirable body weight is essential to cut down risk of the lifestyle related disorders too.
The various sources of sugar in our body include – carbs coming from grains, pulses, dairy (lactose), vegetables, fruits (fructose). Besides, natural sweeteners that are added to foods like sugar, jaggery, honey, brown sugar, khand, maple syrup, agave nectar, date palm sugar etc. and hidden sugars creeping in through processed foods like ready to eat breakfast cereals, biscuits, energy bars, flavoured yoghurts, and of course cookies, cakes, candies, chocolates etc.
It is not advisable to omit foods from the first list as food items like whole grains, whole pulses, fruits, vegetables etc contain a host of nutrients and cutting them out would mean cutting out on vital nutrients. Adequate nutrition is vital for recovery as the patients are already weak.
However, the added sugars are best avoided or restricted. It is advisable to restrict intake of added sugars to less than 5-6 teaspoons a day. It also important to read food labels. Companies add huge amounts of sugars in various forms to processed food and drink products they make to improve their taste or to increase the shelf life of the product. Some sugary drinks such as fizzy drinks and energy drinks can have more than the recommended daily maximum amount of sugar in one serving alone.
It is thus advisable to eat a high fibre diet, comprising of whole grains, whole pulses, fruits and vegetable, besides lean protein, nuts and seeds. Foods high in fibre helps our body to digest natural sugars slowly, thus slowly releasing glucose into the blood. This also helps to maintain a healthy weight, thus reducing the risk of cancers in general. High fibre diet is shown to reduce the risk of colorectal cancers.
The bottom line is that omitting sugars entirely is not possible, our body needs the sugars coming from whole foods, but we can greatly reduce the risk of cancer by lowering the added sugars in our diet by helping us maintain a healthy body weight.
(Pooja Malhotra, Nutritionist, Delhi)
Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.