The Bitter Truth About Sugar
Sugar is linked to practically every kind of health condition, from cholesterol, to Alzheimers, to cancer and even to acne- acne or rather any kind of skin condition is a sign from the body that something is off.
Since I’m focusing on Cancer here, I’ll expand more on the effects of sugar on our cancer cells. We all have cancer cells inside us, one is officially diagnosed with cancer when the immune system is not strong enough to keep the cancer dormant.
It is sugar’s relationship to high insulin levels and related growth factors that may influence cancer cell growth the most (as well as other chronic diseases). Many types of cancer cells have plenty of insulin receptors, making them more responsive than normal cells to insulin’s ability to promote growth.
Cancer cells are less susceptible to chemo when insulin is high or is stimulated (due to sugar).
Those with high insulin levels are 7x more susceptible to developing cancer, particularly hormonal related cancers including colorectal, liver, pancreatic, breast, ovarian and endometrial . Also interesting to note that metformin, a common medication used to reduce insulin resistance in people with diabetes, is being studied, for its potential benefit as a cancer therapy.
Excess insulin- often caused by high GI diets, encourages fat storage where toxins are stored and a build up of these can lead to the development of some cancers.
Top Tips: 1. Avoid all added sugars. It’s not needed. Period. - READ LABELS and know the different names of sugar e.g. fruit juice concentrate, dextrose, maltose, corn syrup etc. - Just so you have an idea of the amount of sugar we are eating: During the Palaeolithic times we were eating around 4 pounds /year of sugar (mainly from honey) This increased to 11 pounds in 1830;s And in 2000, 150 pounds! And our genes have no changed since! - reset your pale with a 10 day sugar detox 2. Increase fibre preferably through vegetables and fruits to slow sugar absorption but also benefit from the other nutrients found in the food. Our Palaeolithic ancestors were taking in around 50-100g of fibre per day. Today we have less than 15g. 3. Ask for a 2-hr insulin glucose test from your doctor which checks fasting blood glucose and insulin levels at one and two hour intervals. Work on getting your blood sugar levels below 80 mg/dl fasting and below 110 or 120 mg/dl after one and two hour checks. Your insulin should be less than 5 mg/dl fasting and should never rise above 30 mg/dl after one and two hour checks.
Remember there are many forms of sugar. These all have the same or similar reaction in your body as table sugar. Don't fool yourself.
