The SWEET Side of Cancer

When I was first diagnosed with cancer, I asked my oncologist what I should do differently nutrition-wise to help manage this disease. He said, "Nothing."

You hear so much about carcinogens in food that I was shocked by his response.  There was nothing I needed to change?  "No," he replied, "You can eat just as you did before, simply remember try to eat healthy of course."

Well, you could have knocked me over with a feather when I later learned that sugar feeds cancer.

Although my doctors were telling me to eat just as I always had, the literature I was reading in my own research was telling me something very different. 


In 1931, Dr. Otto Heinrich Warburg was awarded the Noble Peace Prize in medicine for his discoveries about cellular metabolism & respiration which included, in part, the finding that cancer cells are anaerobic.  As opposed to feeding primarily off of oxygen as normal cells do, cancer cells need sugar to grow.  This is the reasoning behind the advise that cancer patients should minimize their processed sugar and carb intake.

Cancer cells slurp up fructose, US study finds

Does Sugar Feed Cancer?

What is Sugar's Role in Cancer Development?

Cancer's Sweet Tooth

I wondered how it was possible for numerous naturopathic, homeopathic, and integrated medical professionals to tell patients about this aspect of our diet, while mainstream medical doctors seemed to be unaware of this fact, or consider it inconsequential?   What was it about "modern medicine" that precluded it from acting upon this type of knowledge?

The answer it seems is that medical doctors are primarily trained to treat symptoms, not identify/address causative agents.  My diet was not a major consideration because, even if I ate things that fed my cancer, we could always just zap it with some chemo.  I don't mean to be flippant here, but the difference in how medical doctors approach treatment is of vital significance in how successfully the disease is managed.

One of the first times I came into contact with this paradigm was as a young woman experiencing allergies.  I wanted to be tested to find out what I was allergic to.  The doctor refused, preferring for me to take a series of prescription drugs until I found one that worked in suppressing my symptoms.  She was not the least bit interested in finding out what was causing my allergic reactions; only helping to alleviate the discomfort it caused.

Even if one pursues "conventional" cancer treatment, there are still things we can do in regards to our lifestyle that can promote the health and rebuilding of our immune systems. You might want to look more closely into the option of limiting sugar and discuss it with your medical professional.

I can honestly say that - having greatly limited my own sugar intake - I rarely miss it.  In fact, doing so has allowed me to better appreciate the natural sweetness in the foods I eat.