Sugar, The Western Diet And Cancer Prevention
Sugar, The Western Diet And Cancer Prevention
What do we know about the relationship of diet to cancer? We don’t want a person with cancer to feel guilty about what they eat, and suspect their diet history is what landed them with a diagnosis. So it’s important to note that what scientists call “the totality of the evidence” does not support the conclusion that one food or one way of eating caused anyone’s cancer.
However, there is some evidence relating diet to cancer risk. Heavy alcohol consumption is known to increase the risk of a number of cancers. Maintaining a healthy weight is also important to keep in mind. Obesity has been linked to several cancers as well. And since our Western diet has led to our current obesity epidemic, it’s a good idea to maintain a diet that incorporates more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins, and less sodium, saturated fat, and added sugar.
Sugar itself has attracted a lot of attention for a possible role in cancer. Overwhelming medical evidence concludes sugar does not cause cancer. SurvivorNet found that credible sources such as Memorial Sloan-Kettering, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, the Mayo Clinic, and medical studies which have reviewed large numbers of studies on sugar and cancer all reached the same conclusion. We also went to Otis Brawley, MD, Chief Medical Officer of American Cancer Society. He agreed with all the credible sources that we had found: sugar does not cause cancer.
However, among all of those credible sources on this issue you will find some who do not accept this evidence. Brian Berman, Director of Integrative Medicine at the University of Maryland believes sugar does fuel cancer. His view is presented here not because it is of equal scientific weight to the sources cited above but rather because it is a view that does get attention in the press and is discussed.
Of note, Cancer Research UK, an organization similar to the American Cancer Society, has a different take from Berman on whether cancer cells need sugar.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
What do we know about the relationship of diet to cancer? We don’t want a person with cancer to feel guilty about what they eat, and suspect their diet history is what landed them with a diagnosis. So it’s important to note that what scientists call “the totality of the evidence” does not support the conclusion that one food or one way of eating caused anyone’s cancer.
However, there is some evidence relating diet to cancer risk. Heavy alcohol consumption is known to increase the risk of a number of cancers. Maintaining a healthy weight is also important to keep in mind. Obesity has been linked to several cancers as well. And since our Western diet has led to our current obesity epidemic, it’s a good idea to maintain a diet that incorporates more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins, and less sodium, saturated fat, and added sugar.
Sugar itself has attracted a lot of attention for a possible role in cancer. Overwhelming medical evidence concludes sugar does not cause cancer. SurvivorNet found that credible sources such as Memorial Sloan-Kettering, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, the Mayo Clinic, and medical studies which have reviewed large numbers of studies on sugar and cancer all reached the same conclusion. We also went to Otis Brawley, MD, Chief Medical Officer of American Cancer Society. He agreed with all the credible sources that we had found: sugar does not cause cancer.
However, among all of those credible sources on this issue you will find some who do not accept this evidence. Brian Berman, Director of Integrative Medicine at the University of Maryland believes sugar does fuel cancer. His view is presented here not because it is of equal scientific weight to the sources cited above but rather because it is a view that does get attention in the press and is discussed.
Of note, Cancer Research UK, an organization similar to the American Cancer Society, has a different take from Berman on whether cancer cells need sugar.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.