It seems incredibly hard to avoid sugar these days, with so many processed foods containing some form of it. But as research continues to unravel how our modern world’s food supply harms our well-being, there seems to be a dire emphasis on sugar as one of the main culprits for diseases.
The Credit Suisse Research Institute’s 2013 study concluded that as much as 40 percent of US healthcare expenditures are for diseases directly connected to the overconsumption of sugar. And more than $1 trillion is spent each year to fight the harmful health effects of sugar. Sugar and obesity are also linked to an increased risk of cancer, with obesity estimated to be responsible for 500,000 cancer cases worldwide each year.
How Sugar And Obesity Cause Cancer
Because sugar is not our body’s ideal fuel, it promotes more reactive oxygen species than fat, causing more free radicals, which then causes mitochondrial and nuclear DNA damage along with cell membrane and protein impairment.
Chronic overeating has also been found to generate a similar effect, as it places stress on endoplasmic reticulum, which is the membranous network located inside the mitochondria of the body’s cells. Because the ER can only handle a certain amount of nutrients at a time, an excess amount causes it to signal the cell to dampen the sensitivity of the insulin receptors on the surface of the cell. This causes insulin resistance, which is at the core of many chronic diseases, including cancer.
High-Fructose Corn Syrup Primary And Cancer
Obesity often results from over-consumption of refined fructose/sugar and not enough intermittent fasting. It can lead to chronic inflammation and an elevated production of certain hormones like estrogen, which can cause breast cancer.
Research from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has shown that refined sugar can not only increase your chances of breast cancer, but also raise your risk of tumors spreading to other organs. It also found that refined fructose in high-fructose corn syrup was the primary culprit for the breast tumors and metastasis.
High-fructose corn syrup is found in most processed foods and beverages.
Give Up Sugar To Avoid Cancer
The worldwide cancer epidemic is alarming, but one of the most powerful ways we can avoid and/or treat cancer is to stay away from sugar, as without it, cancer cannot thrive. This is because cancer’s food source is primarily sugar and excessive protein.
Cancer cells do not have the metabolic flexibility to burn carbs or fat for fuel, and can only survive with enough sugar. While German cancer researcher Dr. Otto Warburg discovered this in 1931, for which he was given a Nobel Prize, few experts have embraced this theory.
The best way to cut back on sugar and fructose consumption is pretty straightforward: switch to REAL foods. Not only will you get more nutritional value out of them, but you’ll cut your chances of sugar overload, obesity, and cancer as well.
It’s also best to cut back on the amount of sugar you add to your food and drink. You can opt for alternatives like stevia or luo han instead of sugar and/or artificial sweeteners. Also try adding fresh fruit to recipes and meals, as well as spices like cinnamon to your food and drink, instead of adding sugar.
The U.S. Government’s Role In Sugar Consumption
Despite the fact that sugar alone causes so many health problems and contributes so much national expense, U.S. regulators don’t encourage lower sugar consumption.
Both the sugar and corn industry are heavily subsidized by taxpayers. In fact, The Washington Post noted:
The [sugar] industry used to boast that its government protection does not cost taxpayers anything directly, but that claim has been exploded due to recent market developments that forced the federal government to, in effect, buy up tons and tons of sugar and sell it to ethanol refiners at a loss — so as to prop up prices. Taxpayers took a hit of some $258 million in fiscal 2014.
Cancer Screenings May Not Be The Best Prevention
While cancer screening is conventionally touted as being a necessary part of cancer prevention, researchers are now questioning the validity of this, saying the public service announcements that claim “cancer screening saves lives” are more misleading than truthful.
The problem, they say, is that the ubiquitous adage is based on the fact that deaths from the target disease may decline but fails to take into account deaths linked to factors related to the screening itself. Sure, screening for prostate cancer might reduce the incidence of death from that specific disease, but does it reduce overall mortality for the person who got the screening? Maybe not.
For example, prostate cancer screening is known to return ‘numerous’ false positives . . . and contributes to over 1 million prostate biopsies a year. The procedure is ‘associated with serious harms, including admission to hospital and death.’ What’s more, men diagnosed with prostate cancer are ‘more likely to have a heart attack or commit suicide in the year after diagnosis’ . . . In both cases, the deaths aren’t due to the cancer itself but rather are linked to the screening.
Additional Lifestyle Tips
Make sure you’re always eating real food and avoiding processed foods and sugars, especially fructose. You should reduce non-fiber carbs and instead have large volumes of fresh, organic vegetables and fats from high-quality sources like avocados, seeds, nuts, and raw cacao nibs. Also make sure to get enough exercise, as it increases mitochondrial biogenesis, which is essential to fight cancer. Other things to consider are fasting three hours before bed, optimizing your Vitamin D intake, steering clear of BPA, phthalates, and other xenoestrogens, maintaining a healthy weight, limiting your protein intake, and avoiding drinking too much alcohol.
via Collective - Evolution