Lauren Killion, MBA, RDN, LD, outpatient clinical dietitian, Parkview Packnett Family Cancer Institute, addresses the concept of sugar fueling cancer cells.
With all the resources and access to information our patients have today, we are often met with interesting questions. One I hear often is, Does sugar feed cancer?
The fact is, all our cells, including cancer cells, utilize sugar in the form of glucose to generate energy. Our bodies don't have the ability to dictate which cells uptake the glucose.
If we don’t fuel ourselves with foods rich in carbohydrates, our body has to then create that glucose to sustain and create energy. And glucose production can lead to muscle loss and wasting, as well as decreased immunity, which is certainly one of the last things we would want for any of our patients undergoing cancer treatment.
The American Institute on Cancer Research, a wonderful resource we use often and provide to our patients, has a lot of supporting evidence and research regarding a connection between sugar intake and having an obese body status. This, in turn, can be related to an increased risk of certain types of cancers.
There is an abundance of evidence-based research that supports the idea that a diet rich in plant-based foods, and whole, unprocessed, nutrient-dense foods can decrease your risk for certain types of cancer.
The bottom line is there isn’t enough sufficient evidence to support a direct correlation between sugar intake and cancer growth. But we know that nourishing, whole foods can be beneficial.
