Greetings!
I’m wondering if any of you have been told to abstain from eating anything containing sugar?
The two oncologists I’ve seen say it’s not necessary to do this; there’s no good research showing a correlation between sugar and metastasis. Yet, I’ve met patients who have stopped using it and went into remission.
Coincidence? I’ve also read of holistic doctors who say sugar should be avoided so I’m confused.
Thanks in advance for your input. 🙏🏻
Kathleen
Naturopaths have said same out here regarding Refined Sugars..As for The Oncologists that we have dealt with for the most part have had no clue about dietary advice and what worked or didn't. Not a single class on Nutrition/Diet during Med school one even told us..That's why we work with a Integrative Cancer Care Naturopath out here and diet plays huge roll according to her. So IMO I think what goes into one's body plays a significant roll. But Like I said that's just my humble opinion and her advice! Some may think it's doesnt matter and some may think its does.I guess it comes down to one's personal choice. I'd say do some research and make an informed decision.. Take care!
Thank you: much appreciated.
All best to you! K
Yw!🙏🏼❤😊
Kathleen I’m in Barris to say I’m a sugarholic. Lately I lost my taste the alcohol I don’t smoke I don’t gamble, I don't smoke does.I don’t do anything bad, except for sugar. And I mean a lot of sugar. I get a craving for any sort of candy, sweet biscuits, or cakes at any given time of the day. Usually after dinner it's at its peak. I've been told by my daughter and neice who are both very healthy vegans... And many others....That sugar is a drug. And that it speeds up the growth of cancer. I’m not sure if there has been double blind tests about eating sugar when you’ve got metastasised cancer. It would have to be a huge research. and it would depend on the type of cancer the age of the person etc . I would only go by scientific tests. I also have osteoarthritis and I think it’s probably bad for that. Yet I’ve been on ibrance and letrozole/Anastrozole for over four years, and my doctors can’t believe how well I’ve been going. They keep saying whatever I’m doing just keep doing it. So my answer is. I will make these final years my best years. As much as I can.
Thanks, Timtam! Glad to hear you’re doing so well after 4+ years. Very encouraging! I’m
Certainly in favor of our making our last years good. I love to cook though and while I’ve been trying to be careful with carb intake, I still make pasta, eat bread and a cookie after supper. That’s about all I can do without feeling too deprived.
There are a lot of responses to my question and I’m interested in reading them all. Thanks again! All the best! K
I'm with you Tim Tam after having digestive issues and losing 10-15 pounds on IV chemo - and not having any taste buds left, my go to is sugar because peanut m&m's are good for you darn it! :0 ) but seriously I respect everyone's journey and beliefs and research. I think my damage was done over the 55 years before I was diagnosed with processed food, alcohol, my mother being given anit-nausea meds that cause birth defects, and who know what else. I am on the fence between eating and behaving in a healthy manner and saying "screw it"
I like your attitude Timtam. I am a carb eater 100% I don’t do the other stuff on your lists of don’t. I can’t go carb free. I stay within bounds to not gain weight. And call it good. My oncologist says the same. I am in Omaha NE. No real science to show link. I did see a convincing video that carbs drive the Pik3 mutation which causes several kinds of cancer
I have enough to worry about I can’t make myself miserable with low carb no sugar diet but if someone can enjoy food that way then I think it’s a good idea
My friend who is very careful with her diet and quite skinny got aggressive breast cancer stage 1 or 2
Pam
I think for many health reasons unrefined sugar is not recommended. But I was told to continue a balanced and healthy diet. I like dark chocolate and I occasionally have cake. But I don't drink sugary drinks for example. I use things like honey and vanilla to sweeten cooked fruit or hot drinks. I have been following some research that started during the pandemic and they certainly say that it is good to reduce, not eliminate sugar intake and reduce unfermented dairy products. But there is the old adage that a little of what you fancy does you good!
I think it's worth giving up sugar except for rare exceptions just because it's better for your gut biome, and hence helps keep the immune system strong.
I, too, have heard that sugar is a no no. Never the less if you wanted to stop sugar altogether you would have to stop eating. Sugar is in everthing thses days. Having said that, I would stay away from sugary drinks and too much candy.
Cheers, June S.
It IS in everything! I avoid tinned foods as much as possible as they contain a lot of sugar to preserve them but have a hard time with other carbs. Haven’t had a soda in more than 50 years so that’s not my issue. Chocolate, pastas, good breads are my issue. Thanks for your feedback.
Take care!
K
Women need Belgian Chocolates. It must be written somewhere.
Yes! Dark Belgian chocolate with lots of antioxidants 
high quality !
I have heard the stuff about sugar also. Have done a lot of reading and research. In the end i have concluded that moderation in everything eating, drinking, and exercise is the best policy. The exceptions are people with allergies or gluten sensitivity or caffine sensitivity and im sure there are other things im not aware of that do need to elliminate certain items. But i have not found any thing that is consistent in all my reading on cancer that there is a definitive item that causes cancer. That is why they cant tell us what caused us to get cancer or what people can do to prevent cancer. They seem to agree that an over abundace of certain things weather its exposure to certain chemicals or over embibing in certain food or drinks can activate the cellular proliferation that is cancer but that is not a given either. As in my case some of the first questions asked was do you smoke do you drink are you over weight. I am not over weight and i do not smoke or drink but i have cancer. My two older sisters are over weight and drink heavily they dont smoke they dont have cancer. My sisters ,brothers and I where exposed to second hand smoke growing up as our parents smoked. And so did aunts, uncles, friends of theres etc. My parents and uncles and aunts drank fairly regularly. Yet none of them had cancer. GO Figure???? So Why Me????? I simply chalk it up to the luck of the draw!!!! I dont have diabeties, i dont have high blood pressure, i dont have many other issues that many people have. So my conclusion is doctors and scientists can try to figure out what causes one person to get cancer and one who doesnt but they havnt figured it out yet!!!! So live life to the fullest and do everything in MODERATION!!!!!!
It's baloney that sugar feeds cancer. The misunderstanding comes from PET scans and how rapidly dividing cells uptake circulating blood glucose at a faster pace for imaging. This PET scan tidbit has caused non-scientists to erroneously conclude that sugar "feeds" cancer---and thus the myth propagates endlessly. (As evidence, you'll see that the commenter below me repeats this false conclusion.) If you are overweight, here is some excellent news. Research does show that if you are already fat when you are diagnosed with breast cancer, you will live longer if you stay fat. It' s called the "obesity paradox" and you can research it. I weigh 300 pounds and I have been stable on 125 mg. Ibrance + 2.5 mg. Letrozole for over seven and a half years. I am a retired professor with a Ph.D from UCLA . Stay safe and eat cake!
Thank you and AMEN!!! I was told by my oncologist that as long as I was not "losing drastic weight" that I was fine. I had expressed a concern of gaining a few pounds the past several years. I have been NED on Letrozole and Ibrance for 5 years myself. Yes, eat cake!
Stable for over 7 1/2 years!!! Congratulations.
It seems you agree with my oncologist and have your own good health to back this up. Interesting to read it’s the PET scan causing the misconception. Thank you! K
I have lost count of the number of times I've heard 'Sugar feeds Cancer' or Cancer LOVES Sugar' as if either of these statements make any sense at all. When people keep repeating these myths, it sows seeds of doubt and then people start questioning their diet.
Sugar is what lights up the cancer in a petscan. Cancer likes sugar. This is what I found when I researched the radioactive substance.
he radioactive substance most commonly used in PET scanning is a simple sugar (like glucose) called FDG, which stands for “fluorodeoxyglucose”. It is injected into the bloodstream and accumulates in the body where it gives off energy in the form of gamma rays.
I have to ditto what AutumnLove said. I work with an Integrative Oncologist and my GP is a functional medical doctor who specializes in integrative care for cancer patients. Food IS medicine. Everything you put in your body effects your health in some way. Nutrition is not part of medical school curriculum and most doctors I’ve asked about nutrition have no answers at all, other than personal opinion.
One great resource I have found for nutrition education is ZOE and Dr. William Li. Dr. Li has dedicated himself to getting nutrition studied in the same way that drugs are studied and tested. A tough road since there’s no financial incentive to teaching people how to improve their health with food instead of buying expensive drugs! He is especially interested in how diet effects cancer.
You can listen to him on youtube and find out about ZOE online.
Thank you so much. I will definitely listen to the YouTube and look up ZOE. I of course want to believe I can continue to eat the foods I love and have appreciated many of the replies I’ve read here saying I can. Their arguments seem sound.
However, I do want to make an informed decision so will do more research.
Thanks again and all best,
K
I reduced my sugar intake by about 90% 10 years ago. It was hard at first, but after several months of experimenting I found so many tasty and healthier ways to satisfy my HUGE sweet tooth. Honestly, I not only do not miss sugar, I actually feel awful when I eat it so have lost all desire to do so! And EVERYTHING about my health improved. (All of this was way before my cancer diagnosis.)
Hope this helps. Best to you in your journey!
What are the items you substituted for the sugary items?
At first I swapped sugar for xylitol. It’s granulated and looks, feels and tastes just like sugar. Later I switched to stevia in some foods, but it had a terrible aftertaste in many foods and seemed to only be available in liquid form making it difficult to use in many recipes so I did not use it often. Now monk fruit is my favorite. No side effects like xylitol has for some people. No weird aftertaste like stevia. And it’s available in granulated, powdered or brown sugar-like form. All of these are more expensive than sugar, and you have to be careful bc there are many cheap products out there that claim to be one of these sweeteners but are mostly dextrose [which is terrible for you} so they can lower the price considerably. I really only use it in baking so the price doesn’t bother me.
One of the most significant changes I made was in quitting all grains. Most people don’t realize it but the body breaks grains into sugar immediately upon ingestion. Initially I switched to almond then to coconut flour bc nothing else was available. Now I choose between these and cassava, fava bean, and tiger nut flour. All are pricey and need some tweaking to work in most recipes but in my opinion well worth it!
Great comment and advice..Ty!
i think sugar and carbohydrates are considered inflammatory and can cause glucose and insulin levels to spike that in some way can trigger cancer cell division. Having said this though, it is quite hard to eliminate all sugar and still eat a healthy balanced meal which we all need. What i try to do is eat more natural sugars coming from fruits. I also use alternative sweeteners like honey, maple syrup or monkfruit more than processed sugar. On on occassion, i would still indulge but always in moderation. I also stay away from sugary drinks and just drink plain water. Hope this helps.
I believe that sugar plays a role in causing cancer. I really do. My father died of cancer and he had a big sweet tooth. He never drank in his life but did smoke until he was fifty but basically he had a clean life with lots of good home cooked food. He died at age 62. Too young.
My mom lived to 94 and it was her belief that sugar caused cancer. She also believed that stress played a role. I also have a sweet tooth and now I have cancer. So I am starting to think that my mother was right.
Sugar also puts on weight and being over weight is also according to many health professionals creates an environment for cancer to grow. I am not a scientist and there are so many theories out there but I know so many people including family members who were heavy drinkers and they also died in their 50s and early 60s from cancer. Alcohol is loaded with sugar. So that is why I am try to curb my sugar intake. I am doing well in staying stable but I attribute that to reducing sugar intake and to watching what I eat in general.
Since reducing my sugar intake I feel better and have lost a few pounds. I am trying to restrict all the foods that turn quickly to sugar - the starches. I don't eliminate them but just make them a smaller part of my diet. It is hard because I love chocolate and dark chocolate is supposedly good for a person but it does keep my sugar cravings alive. So maybe I will slow down on the chocolate too. I know most conventional doctors and even scientists cannot make a connection between sugar and cancer but there is much anecdotal evidence that it does. Somehow the science has not quite stumbled on how this could happen but one day I believe they will discover the link. I do however have the occasional teaspoon of raw unpasteurized honey. It has some healing properties but of course it is sugar too. So I am not sure what the answer is. Take good care of yourself - lots of veggies and fruit. Hugs Marlene
Interesting. Hard not to think sugar does contribute given your story. Well worth thinking about. Thank you. Yes, lots of veggies, fruits and water. And for me the odd cookie. 😘
Take care, Marlene. Hugs back, K
I agree with all of you , haha - which doesn't necessarily make sense ! Simple sugars and especially processed foods with corn syrup for sweetener are really bad for everyone . We have way too much sugar in any and all prepared foods , it seems - at least in the USA.
If sugar was a direct correlation to cancer , we would see more than 50% of type 1 and type 2 diabetics getting cancer and getting cancer at a younger age . I don't believe this is the case . My paternal grandmother was overweight and I would say obese her entire adult life . She was a bigger boned gal, raised on a farm but still obese . She died from natural causes at 104. She was not on any medication in her old age. No one else in my extended family has been as heavy as Grandma Z. She really loved sweet tea and baking .
For years , before I ever had cancer I started eating organic and watching the glycemic index of foods to avoid sugar "spikes " . Really this was for my kids , too but I found I like to eat this way .
Recently, I was on vacation with friends in Cape Cod and I had a 3 hour time difference so my first morning I woke up late . My friend has been intermittent fasting , not eating until 11:30am and stops eating at 8:30pm. She offered me an earlier breakfast but I told her I'd wait for her . I have so much energy and dare I say I lost a few pounds . She drinks coffee with a little milk , as I do and that doesnt seem to impact the fast . I've now been following this since the end of August .
Clean eating , moderation and of course avoid known carcinogens such as smoking are my rules. However, I'll treat myself to good quality baked goods once in a while without worry . We all know too well that life can be short.
Breast cancer metastasis 
Xeloda increase in cancer markers
Breast Cancer on Brain.
Metastatic Breast Cancer
Reaction to cancer treatment 
