Sugar and cancer – what you need to know

I have lost 3 friends to cancer. One was vegetarian, one even received specialized treatments from Switzerland, two decided to cut out sugar completely because they were told… ‘sugar feeds cancer cells theory’. I understand that science is always evolving and that what is true today may not be true tomorrow… but for now the research and facts … I’ve seen from different sources… agree that sugar is not a carcinogen (unlike alcohol). I’ve had cancer… I have survived it. What I have come to understand… cancer is complicated… there is not a one fix all… and my personal opinion… the joy of sugar in moderation (especially from fruits, a nice pasta meal, or a little piece of birthday cake) will help your mind and your body much more than more restriction and fear if you are dealing with cancer. Cancer is already scary and stressful enough.. so if I may suggest… if you have cancer (choose for yourself what feels right… what feels good… you know what that is and it sometimes changes from one moment to another). If someone around you has cancer… please ! please… do not add to their stress by perpetuating miss information. Stick to the facts… encourage them to listen to their heart. Be kind and sensitive.

I recently read your article on the relationship between sugar and cancer, and I want to commend you for providing clear and evidence-based information on this often misunderstood topic.

Your explanation of the role of sugar in our bodies, particularly its connection to glucose and the function of healthy cells, is insightful. The debunking of myths about sugar directly causing or fueling cancer is particularly valuable, emphasizing the importance of a nuanced understanding.

I appreciate the distinction between free sugars and those naturally present in fruits and vegetables, as well as the indirect link between sugar, weight gain, and cancer risk. Your emphasis on the role of governments in creating a healthier food environment is also noteworthy.

Thank you for promoting awareness and clarity on the complex relationship between sugar and cancer, contributing to a better-informed public.

Even though the article was reviewed in August 2023, it still lacks journal references for its claims. A simple literature search reveals many interesting and novel nuances not mentioned, or even contradicted, in the article.

Excellent logical and well researched article. I can feel comfortable eating small amounts of fruit along with my vegetables in helping overcome my cancer.

Hi,
I love your post.  a fact-based exploration of the sugar-cancer connection. Looking forward to dispelling myths and understanding the role of sugar! We are also a blogger read more at  s4blog. Thanks!

Thank you for this comprehensive article about sugar and cancer. It is very helpful to learn about how to reduce our risk by making healthy choices and lowering the amount of added sugar in our diets.

Excellent article. I appreciate your efforts in detailing the whole sugar/cancer link in an easy to understand way. Thank you!

Just have a good balance that’s my thoughts

Does oatmeal have too much carbs and sugars? Cancer has spread. Trying to stop it from spreading. Any tups?

Carl,
I am in no way affiliated with the medical field however I am a lifelong learner. I am going to make some suggestions…I feel rather strongly about.
STOP EATING SUGAR AND BREAD! You will not believe how good you are going to feel!!
Find videos on meditation…then do it! You won’t believe how goid you will feel!!!
I love you and I hope you get everything you desire!

Please if anybody have Brest cancer what is the medicine that can used

This article is somehow misleading, vague and contradictory. Firstly, it does not make a difference between refined and natural sugars, and simple and complex sugars, and it seems to suggest that it is OK to eat refined sugar when in cancer treatment while now many doctors are aware of the importance of diet in cancer treatment. In the Far East diet is seen also as a medicine, a concept that we do not have in the West and look at the results in terms of obesity….not to mention in the UK, where eating junk food is the normal. Secondly, while in the article the authors say there is no link direct between sugar and cancer, below they then answers some questions providing evidence that there is., for example Emma gives this website:

http://www.nature.com/bjc/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/bjc2017272a.html

Of course, most people will not read the comments but the main article and will be mislead to think that is fine to eat sugar during cancer treatment. I really find your article upsetting and an incentive for keep eating sugar, regardless of you suggestions relating sugar to obesity, which we all know.

Look at how the end the article:

“So the take home message is that although banishing sugar won’t stop cancer”

which is basically say it’s OK to eat sugars though they do not distinguish even what type of sugars. This is really upsetting to read from what should be a reputable organization.

My question for you is, after billions of investment, all the technological development and everything, nowadays you are still not able to cure cancer, very few progresses have been made…at the least do not promote the message “eating sugar (what sugars is not clear though) is fine”.

Thank you.
I found this whole newsletter fascinating and easy to read. I was delighted to read that so many cancer researchers are teamed up to try and beat agreed common goals.

I quote:
“Sugar, in some form, is in many things we eat. And this is good, because our bodies rely heavily on it to work.”
Hmmmm.
Our bodies rely heavily on it to work because we feed it sugar. But we don’t need sugar because if we don’t eat sugar, as you even said, our bodies can make glucose without sugar. So I ask you, what is the minimum requirement of carbohydrates? Zero. Look it up. Also the body can use ketones as a source of energy. And there are indications that ketones are a better source of energy.
Also, where are the references? What are we just ‘spit balling’? Can we wave our hand around and say ‘it’s like this, or it’s like that’ and say we did research? No.

Thank you for sharing your great information. I read your blog daily . It give me so much knowledge and ideas.

Thank you for outlining the development of the latest vaccines in relationship to various cancers and the effect on them from the Covid-19 virus. Similarly how sugar additives in our daily food intakes effect the increase or not in getting various cancers.

Very interesting reading. I have stage 4 metastatic lung cancer. I am being treated with Erlotinib(Tarceva). I’ve had a good response and the tumours shrunk to a size that couldn’t be measured.

I have been on the treatment for a year. Lately, I’ve started craving sweet things. I know the relation to sugar/cancer and decided to do some more research. I have my next scan early January and am hoping the cancer has not started to regrow or mutate again.

Thank you for an informative article.
Regard
Kate

Very good read I was able to understand lots and I like to think the government will do more to help.

It contradicts what Naturopaths, and cancer survivors have said.

I get really upset when I read time and time again that those on a low income cannot afford to eat a healthy diet. Of course they can! It is a myth to say otherwise. No one makes them buy junk food, it is their choice. I could show them how to shop so that the food they buy is well within their budget and is very healthy at the same time.

the carnivore diet so far as far as I can tell has the strongest case to avoid cancer and potentially starve it out.

the omnivore diet is not good enough it’s still includes too many carbs from food.

once the body is fat adapted it takes time to adjust you can’t go from omnivore to carnivore and be completely imbalanced overnight: it should be a gradual thing.

but once you’re fat adapted the body will no longer have the excess to deal with.

Cancer really struggles in a alkaline environment, go figure?

If you see a good post, you should always appreciate the need of that post, I saw your post and I liked it very much and I would like to appreciate it. Your post is also beautiful to see and every single word written in it is written very thoughtfully.

Thank you for this incredibly interesting information. This is the first time I heard that sugar can in any way affect the development or formation of cancer. But thanks to your article, I now understand that although there is a connection, it is indirect. Now I can review my diet in order to avoid problems in the future. I have always understood that being overweight leads to health problems, but I never would have thought that cancer is also at risk. I’ve always been very afraid of cancer and everything related to it. Therefore, for me, this is an extremely serious topic, and your article gave me a different angle to review this problem.

Hi there, after reading this amazing piece of writing i am too happy to share my knowledge
here with colleagues.

I can see and understand the aggravation in the comments of people. I have worked oncology for 15 years and have endured and learned some hard facts in relation to cancer, facts that are not given to the patient, therefore the patient is not given a chance to make a choice about how to tackle their disease. To begin let me say I am not against Any medical treatment necessary but I am against a patient not being given all their options to make a choice. I agree with what you said about sugar, however I think some confusion is in the explanation of the differences in sugars. It made your statement seem contradictive. Furthermore, that comment about aspertame not being dangerous or related to developing cancer was a false statement and people can read lots of research to the fact and also read the warning labels on things with aspertane in them. To much of anything can be bad. That is a fact. There is a difference in natural sugar that is in our fruits and vegetables. And it has been proven that those are important for overall complete health and good cell development . One problem our society has is they hear about something being good and they over indulge. Our bodies were not made to take on the heaping piles of food at one serving, instead we should fueling our bodies every 2 hours with small portions. Our bodies are not made to eat those fat free snack cakes that are advertised to help with weight. And goodness those sugar free chocolate bars that I have seen people eat bags full because they are told they are sugar free. Not helpful for weight loss or health. We are eating more processed foods that has been stripped away of the minerals our body needs to maintain a healthy immune system, and opening the door to numerous disease. Our bodies were made to fight, it is a machine, that needs to be maintained. But as society and life changes our way of eating has changed, changing our whole makeup and decreasing its natural abilities. I have seen several patients go through numerous chemo drugs. And I have seen a lot of them take a more alternative route after chemo depleted their body, to a treatment of incorporating all natural herbs, minerals, certain fruits and vegetables with great ongoing success. Alternatives like turminic, ginger, parsley, cinnamon, the yellow rines of a lemon, apple cider vinegar , apples, cayenne, kale, and good fats,like sunflower, coconut , grape seed, olive, avocado, tuna, etc.
So much of what everyone is saying is true, but I think we go to extremes and things are being overlooked and pushed to the limits.
Access to healthier foods need to happen. Poverty is linked to one major influence to obesity. Poverty stricken people can only afford these cheap processed foods, snacks, junk food creating a high percentage of obesity. Then others have a lifestyle of working 2 jobs, parenting, sports, etc and fast foods has become the best way to save time.
It is crazy how insurance companies pays these enormous healthcare cost for treatments on cancer, heart disease and diabetes, but will not pay for life changes, like gym fees, all natural medication (like all natural hormones pellets for menopausal women , but will pay for the synthetic ones) dietcians (but will pay for gastric bypass) etc.
It is sad how it’s all about the $$ and not about people’s quality of life. And most people can research and research and never find some proven research that I know was done,but they are given just enough to make them believe what we want them to believe or not understand.
I know this is getting off the subject of sugar, however I am hoping it opens the eyes of readers to research more into obesity, cancer, and other issues to help come up with resources to help all people. Because all these issue with health, diseases , mental health, poverty, food, etc it’s all a continuous cycle.

Hi Dennis,
We’re really sorry to hear about your wife’s diagnosis.

There’s no evidence currently that sugar in the diet has an impact on cancer survival, so no need to cut out fruit juices completely. Fruit juices often contain lots of vitamins and nutrients that are good for our health, but they are also high in sugar so the general recommended amount of juice a day is a small glass (150 mls) as part of a balanced diet – https://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/water-drinks.aspx.

However, it can be hard for some patients to carry on eating a healthy balanced diet during treatment and it’s important that your wife gets enough calories during this time. If you’re concerned about your wife’s nutrition, the best person to speak to is her doctor who can advise you further.

Emma, Cancer Research UK

I think I understand what your saying about cancel and sugar, my wife has a GBM brain tumour , we are having lots of freshly prepared fruit drinks which are full of natural sugars can you confirm that it’s okay to have these drinks
daily

I am tung & neck cancer pashent troubling to bank lone give me a legal suggestions

The hell? You literally just said that cancer cells feed on glucose and then attempted to suggest that not eating sugar might be so bad for you that it’s not worth trying it – and pretended to suggest, in complete contradiction of your prior statements, that sugar has no effect on cancer without qualification.

You aren’t going to die if you eat a low carb diet for a few months. Millions of people do it. I’ve done it for years and I’m healthier than ever. This article is nonsense. Human beings aren’t so inflexible that not eating a certain food-group for a few months will ruin our health.

Hi Jennifer,

Thanks for your question.

The study you mention adds to scientists’ understanding of how cancer cells use sugar to grow in the lab, which is different to the ways healthy cells do. The study mostly looked at the effects of adding sugar in the form of glucose to yeast cells in the lab, alongside two types of human cells. The study didn’t look at patients’ tumours or their diets. This therefore doesn’t tell us about the way sugar from food or drink interacts with tumours in the body, so the evidence isn’t strong enough to warrant a change in the advice that we give to patients.

Best wishes,
Nick, Cancer Research UK

Just wondering what your thoughts are on the latest research from Johan Thevelein at the University of Leuven in Belgium, that shows that sugar promotes growth of cancerous tumours?

The American Cancer Society has had a cozy tie to hair dye manufacturers, and taken a mild view of it’s cancer risks while the National Cancer Institute urges no skin contact as does FDA. Who do you trust more?

All cells need glucose for energy but only healthy cells can make glucose from fat. Cancer cells must have glucose & cannot use fat and therefore die off in the absence of glucose in the diet.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/sugar-cancer-tumours-aggressive-stimulation-growth-study-a8002701.html

I light of the above will the advice given to cancer patients change?

Otto Warburg, The Prime Cause of Cancer.

Hypoxic tissue, tissue starved of oxygen, is an end station for metastic cancer cells; ergo, highly oxygenated tissue is a means of denying cancer a breeding ground.

Surely good advocates for your cause would be something like Whole fodd businesses! Company’s that don’t sell or promote sugary products?

Ok im tell you what I think🤔 If being overweight contributes towards some cancers and cancer research uk wants to highlight that fact the sugar is one! of the main causes in weight gain and we all know how addictive it is Then why is that some of your sponsors that donate thousands upon thousands of pounds run and make their business selling and promoting processed food and sugar. Ie! Galaxy premier foods ect?

This is why I disagree with bake a cake and selling cakes for cancer research as lots of people needing to watch their weight but the cake to raise funds but in eating cake they raise their weight and raising weight can be contributing to cancer. So though cake is not harmful in small doses it is too frequently used as a way to raise money for charity and I feel macmillan cake days are not givintage out the right message of healthy lifestyle

Here’s a link to an actual scientific research
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2016/01/06/study-links-sugar-to-cancer-how-to-reduce-your-risk.html

no

Hi John,
Thanks very much for your message.

You’re correct, PET scans work by measuring how quickly cells use glucose – cancer cells consume glucose more quickly than most normal cells which shows up in scans.

This article was focused on sugar in our diets and the risk of developing cancer in the first place. But researchers are looking very hard into the situation for cancer patients, because some small studies have suggested that having a diet high in sugar might help some types of cancer grow and spread (here is an example http://www.nature.com/bjc/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/bjc2017272a.html). But this field of research is still at a very early stage and we’re a long way from knowing whether either reducing sugar consumption or treatments that stop cancer cells using getting and using sugar will benefit cancer patients.

Lots of foods contain carbohydrate in some form – either as a simple sugar which your body can absorb and use quickly, or a more complex polysaccharide (a long chain of sugars) that your body needs to break down before using it as fuel. Fruits and starchy vegetables (including potatoes, peas, beans and corn) contain carbohydrate, but they are much lower in sugar than obviously sweet foods and sugary drinks and have other nutritional benefits (for example providing a good source of fibre, vitamins and minerals) so it’s a good idea to get your 5 a day. And there’s no evidence that other sweeteners help cancer develop or grow.

During chemotherapy it’s really important to make sure you get enough calories to help your body cope with treatment, so please talk to your doctor if you are considering any significant dietary changes.

We wish you all the best for your treatment,
Emma, Cancer Research UK.

This article causes some concern for me. When I was injected with radioactive glucose at a recent PET scan, the site of tumours was inferred by wherever the glucose gathered. Isn’t this an indicator of thefact that cancer cells greedily consume sugar? I do realise that every cell in the body needs sugar for energy production, but it is naturally present in fruit and vegetables.

Perhaps it’s the refined stuff that the body hasn’t evolved itself to handle adequately? I’m really concerned at the moment, because I would not like to think that I’m providing the body with unnecessary sweeteners thinking that they’re fine, when in fact they’ll be supplying the fuel that will nourish the cancer stem cells’ fermentation.

I dread another course of R-CHOP therapy for a possible recurrence of non-Hodgkins.

Rubbish. Inaccuracies abound in this article. Just one for example. The body doesn’t convert fat to glucose. It converts it to ketones. Other than blood, CNS, and cancer cells, everything in your body is perfectly happy with ketones as a primary fuel source.

Very interesting thinking to find the abmormal growth mechanism of cancer cells. Suggest to think about why the cancer cells grow very slowly with the aged people (around 80 years old) while they grow very rapidly among the young patients.

As far am concerned sugar is a big factor in cancer growth and spread. I agree that that almost all the food(starchy foods) have sugar but food fibre takes time to be absorbed in the body and is more healthy than other sugars. In addition, taking moderate sugary foods and carbohydrate is key in cancer recovery, my wife’s breast cancer case opened my eyes.
This report is business oriented to promote conventional treatment. If I may ask is science the only way of knowing?

This is irresponsible reporting. You have no citations, and you cannot possibly promote the idea that sugar is not bad for you, obesity is. I have done extensive research and have survived three cancers without chemo or radiation. After surgery, I credit faith, diet (including organic eating), stress alleviation, exercise, beneficial herbs and knowledge. The only way to effectively fight cancer is to make one’s body an inhospitable host for it to take root and spread. Cancer proliferates in people with sugary diets, regardless of weight.

Hello Shelagh,
All sweeteners are tightly regulated and rigorously tested for safety by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Plenty of research has been done on steviol glycosides (a ‘natural’ sweetener) and in 2010 EFSA reviewed all the available evidence, and concluded that they are not linked to cancer and have set guidance for the food industry on how much to use in food and drinks. There is also strong evidence that artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame, do not increase the risk of cancer.
Best wishes,
Emma, Cancer Research UK

Cancer research is all about treatment and not the cure. The treatments are surgery, drugs, chemo and radiation. All of these come with a high price tag and do NOT cure cancer. Thousands of people have CURED cancer by dietary changes. No research is being done on this because there is no money in it ($$$). This is tragic and disgraceful.
I am angry!!

What about truvia, and steviol glucoside? Are they Ok? Simple answer please. Thanks

All lies – lions and tigers don’t require “Glucose”

How about you take a look at this article that shows a direct connection with sugar consumption and cancer.
https://www.google.ca/amp/www.foxnews.com/health/2016/01/06/study-links-sugar-to-cancer-how-to-reduce-your-risk.amp.html

Thankyou so much for the sugar article. So easy to understand and so balanced. I shall spread it around as it is so difficult to get accurate and credible information once the media has hyped a topic.

Really interesting and very informative for me and my husband who has had 3 types of cancer even though he has always been Heath conscious and not over weight. Myself however who has become overweight will definitely be more aware of added sugar in my diet.

Absolutely appalling, dangerous article which could harm cancer patients health. Opinions is presented as “fact” and the detailed work of respected scientists is totally ignored and we are told it “does not exist”. Look at the work of Dr Valter Longo of University of Southern California, Professor Thomas Seyfried of Boston and Dr Dominic D´Agostino, Assistant Professor of Molecular Pharmacology, University of South Florida, and the Max-Plank Institute.

No scientific evidence? What about the review of 39 scientific papers – “The Efficacy of Ketogenic Diet…” (Varshneya et al. 2015) and Storer et al.’s 2916 paper “Ketolytic and Glycolytic Enzymatic Expression in Paediatric Ependymoma: Implication for Ketogenic Diet Therapy”?

food for thought.

very interesting report. food for thought.

very interesting report.

Great information, I will include this as part of my nutrition talks, you guys are Amazing.

Informative and easy to understand.

This is an excellent article. I wish this would be given to the leaders in the ‘diet’ industry. Many people are misinformed in good health/exercise and nutrition. Many GP’s aren’t that knowledgeable about these things. So much conflicting advice from professionals.
This is my area of study and for the first time in a long time this article is one of the most accurate I’ve read. Thank you.

Very informative article, especially the molecular chain part. I gave my friend some bad advice I’m ashamed to say and will forward this to everyone I know. Keep up the fantastic work, we can stand up to cancer together with the info you are passing on.

Very very interesting and written in a way that doesn’t need a scientist’s brain to absorb.
Well done!

Sugar free has aspartame in and that causes cancer so what you’re saying is have diet foods which causes cancer which is a load of codswallop

Being a researcher and a cancer researcher at that, I wonder what sort of evidence allows us to make that categorical statement that sugar doesn’t cause cancer directly, but obesity does. As far as I can see, these two factors are perfectly confounded. I.e. people who are obese are also, with some exceptions, people that consume large amounts of refined sugars. So unless we can run a study with a large cohort of obese people that have always been on sugar restricted diet, we have no way of separating these two risk factors.

Sugar spikes insulin. Many cancers have elevated insulin receptors on the surface. Insulin is how sugar indirectly impacts cancer growth. Insulin also increases HGH and IGF – you can extrapolate what that would do to cancer. There is research from MD Anderson that shows fructose is the worst for someone with cancer and responsible for the cancer spreading. Interestingly fructose found in fruit. The health benefits of a diet that keeps blood sugar steady should be evident.

This article was very informative and can hopefully give each reader reason to review certain types of food within their regular diet

This article had the potential to be great, but fell short when it called Glucose, The Fuel of Life. There are many who consume zero carbs and are vibrantly healthy. Your statement that,”… following severely restricted diets with very low amounts of carbohydrate could damage health in the long term by eliminating foods that are good sources of fibre and vitamins.” is flat out false. There is no damage done to health when one eliminates or severely restricts carbohydrates. There is nothing in carbs that isn’t found in animal protein and the fibre myth has been debunked, though some like its filling effects (which healthy fats can also accomplish). Today’s dieticians, many doctors and health journalists are quickly becoming dinosaurs, but they don’t have to. Learn what is going on ‘now’, not what you learned in school or what is being told to you by those who want to stick with worn-out rules around food intake and health.

This article asserts that “There’s no evidence that following a “sugar-free” diet lowers the risk of getting cancer, or boosts the chances of surviving if you are diagnosed.” I would be interested to read the reasearch illuminating this assertion. Please see research by Dr Valter Longo and Dr Thomas Sayfried for evidence based indications that sugars and cancer are linked.

Interestingly the STAMPEDE series of clinical trials for advanced prostate cancer has been recruiting men to take part in a new arm which prescribes the diabetes drug metformin alongside chemo and hormone injections. We were told this is on the premise that inhibiting sugar might help slow cancer cell production. Not sure when the trial ends and the results will be published

We must also remember that the liver converts food into glucose so the input of carbs do not have to be as much as the RDA.

Sucrose – table sugar- is NOT a simple sugar. It is a disaccharide, each molecule of which is two simple sugar molecules chemically bonded together. It is not a mixture of any sort. In the case of sucrose, it is made from glucose and fructose. To get the use of sucrose, the body breaks the bond between glucose and fructose, and changes glucose to fructose. Fructose enters mitochondria most easily and is broken down for energy use in that molecular form.

Fructose is found in fruits naturally. But manufacturers also use it as an added sugar ingredient at least in American foods as high fructose corn syrup. Since fructose is so easily absorbed by the body, it’s easy for large amounts of this sugar to sneak into our diets. This has caused many problems for Americans even eating the same foods as 40 years ago. They are not the same foods anymore, and much more sugar is found in canned and processed foods. I would not at all be surprised if produce is now sweeter than 40 years ago through variety development and plant cloning.

Check the first 3 or 4 ingredients on the packages of your food. If any one of them is sugar, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, or a worry ending in -ose, you have sugar as one of the main ingredients.

Even organic foods are not immune. A can of organic tomato paste I was going to buy had 2 ingredients: organic tomatos, and organic cane juice. Came juice is sugar cane, from which sucrose is refined. Both ingredients were organic, but it was high in sugar, so I couldn’t use it for my dish. I chose non – organic tomato paste instead, because it only had tomatoes in it.

Stay in the know. There are all kinds of tricky ways American food companies try to sell us junk. Reading about how things happen in America can possibly guard you from being taken in in the UK.

Best wishes from across the Pond!

Good points. I’ve found though that the feelings of diabetes and the effects of cancer and radiation can feel very similar. If your blood sugar is high (ie jacked up due to steroids) you can do things to get the blood sugar in a normal range. The results can amaze because it not only can make you feel better but you get some control. Diet, exercise, and knowing your body and mindfulness can really help. Feelings of rage for example can come up when your sugar is outside normal,