The Connection between Sugar and Cancer

“You cannot have cancer if you have an intact immune system.”

— Dr. Rashid Buttar, D.O.

Sugar was not such a problem a century ago, when an average person consumed 5 lbs of sugar per year. Today, however, the average consumption of sugar has risen to 150 lbs per person per year. We are thus eating roughly our body weight in sugar annually.

What does this have to do with cancer? There are two key connections between sugar and cancer. The first is the fact that cancer can only grow in a body with an immune system that is in some way taxed or suppressed. Sugar has been shown to dramatically weaken the immune system. A blatant illustration of this can be found in a single can of soda. Bob Wright, the founder of American Anti-Cancer Institute, states that “one can of [soda] has enough sugar to shut down 50% of our immune system for a minimum of 4 hours.” (Quoted from the CancerTutor.)

The second cancer-sugar connection is this: Cancer feeds on sugar. Sugar is its fuel and causes cancer to grow. When sugar is injected into the body as part of an MRI or other exam, the sugar causes the cancer to light up. There is thus a strong indication that reducing the amount of simple sugars in our diets can both reduce the incidence of cancer and help contain exisiting cancers.

Does that mean we have to cut out all sugars—even naturally occurring sugar? The good news is that not all sugars are created equal, and they don’t all interact with cancer cells in the same way. The sugars to avoid are processed sugar, glucose, and high-fructose corn syrup—with high-fructose corn syrup being the worst in the proliferation of cancer. The general rule is that cancer cells thrive on right-spinning sugars—processed, white, enriched, and synthetic sugars whose molecules rotate to the right. Apples, pears, and other fruits have molecules that spin to the left and, in general, are assimilated well by the human body.

Several alternative and successful cancer protocols (such as Gerson) involve juicing carrots, apples, strawberries, and other fruits with a high-glycemic (sugar) index. Eating organic and pesticide-free fruits, as well as natural unprocessed honey, maple syrup, and certain other natural, more complex sugars can actually be beneficial to the human body, when consumed within reason.

For Further Exploration:

Is Sugar Toxic? A Look at Sugar as the Possible Cause of Disease, Including Cancer

Sugar as a Dangerous Substance—More Harmful than Any Other Food and More Addictive than Cocaine. But Here Are 3 Healthful Alternative Sweeteners.