Sugar and Cancer: Is There a Connection?

Submitted by Sharon Hopkins on July 6, 2007

Cell is the basic make up of all organs. Division of cells in producing more is the common feature of a healthy individual. Abnormality or anomaly at cellular level, resulting in proliferation or multiplication of cells at a rapid pace devoid of any control, leads to cancer. When cell multiplication is unnecessary, it results in a tissue mass referred to as tumor or growth.

Cancer or tumor is classified into two types, namely, benign or malignant.

The former is not cancer, as their elimination is complete riddance and they are not contagious, spreading throughout the body. They are not fatal, whereas, malignant tumors are those which deteriorate and affect the neighboring tissues and thereby the tissues. These cancerous cells have the capacity to detach themselves from the original part and affect the other organs by moving in the bloodstream.

Metastasis is the term used to refer the way cancer spreads to the other body parts.

Causes of cancer include heredity, lifestyle, use of tobacco and carcinogenic environment. People in their senescence and middle age are generally afflicted with cancer.

Commonly seen in both women and men, skin cancer is the prominent type. Women experience more of breast cancer and prostate cancer is more among men. Cancers are called, based on the site of origin or the primary tumor.

If cancer cells from the lung moves to the liver, it is referred to as lung cancer.

Filling your diet with complex carbohydrates, instead of simple sugars is a stepping stone to good health, thereby decreasing the risk of diabetes, cancer and cardiac problems. Simple sugars are absorbed in the bloodstream at a faster rate causing an increase in a few growth-promoting hormones and insulin. There exists a directly proportional relationship between the raise in these hormones and cancer cell proliferation. Complex carbohydrates are inversely proportional, resulting in a reduction of cancer risk.

People with tumors show a raise in anaerobic glycolysis. Glucose, along with lactate is utilized as fuel. The surplus lactate production results in an acidic pH. The Adenosine tri phosphate (ATP) production is reduced by 95%, thereby resulting in energy 'wasting' or cachexia. The principle, behind therapy is not the removal of sugar from the diet, but sugar intake reduction or control, helping to enhance the immune system. Generation of free radicals affects cell functioning causing tissue injury. It damages the cells and results in oxidation, thereby resulting in diseases, such as cataract, cancer and so on.