Diet gun

It’s well known that sugar, in the form of glucose, is the main source of energy for every cell in our body. The same is true for cancer cells.

However, cancer cells use glucose faster than many normal cells and absorb 10-12 times more sugar than healthy cells.

Glucose in the growth of cancer cells

If glucose levels are high in the body, the high concentration of insulin that will also be secreted in large quantities in the body to be able to enter glucose into the cells, activates cell growth, the creation and proliferation of normal and cancer cells. While some amount of insulin is normal for the body, excessive insulin creates fertile ground for the growth of cancer cells.

Glucose processing by cancer cells

Healthy cells process glucose more efficiently, yielding more cellular energy, while cancer cells, instead of breaking down all the glucose, convert most of it into a simpler molecule called lactate and then release it as waste.

This altered metabolism of cancer cells has less to do with the cell’s energy production and more to do with the cell’s identity.

The way cancer cells process glucose triggers changes in genes that cause the cells to lose their specialized functions. A liver cell stops functioning as a liver cell. A lung cell stops functioning as a lung cell.

This loss of cell identity is a hallmark of cancer.

Cancer Cell Nutrition

Cancer cells are remarkably resourceful in finding glucose as their energy source. If the glucose they need is not enough, they will turn to alternative sources of non-carbohydrate molecules such as amino acids, pyruvic acid, lactic acid. In this way, they can continue to grow and multiply, but at a slower rate.

Complete exclusion of carbohydrates from the diet

Extreme restrictions such as complete exclusion of carbohydrates from the diet can be dangerous during treatment because indeed the cancer cell will not find easy food, nor can it generate a large amount of energy to feed itself from the non-carbohydrate molecules mentioned above, but such a diet can be low in calories with serious nutrient deficiencies and lead to weight loss.

Getting enough calories helps patients maintain muscle mass and manage side effects of treatment by supporting their immune system.

Avoiding added sugars in the diet

Avoiding added sugars, which are mainly found in processed foods, sugary drinks, and baked goods, is the right dietary approach, not excluding natural sugars found in grains and fruits.

Added sugars directly fuel the growth of cancer cells, resulting in increased insulin production, which activates cancer cell growth.

Intake of healthy natural sugars

The intake of healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, although they contain natural sugars, usually also contain fiber that slows down the absorption of carbohydrates, helping to regulate the speed of sugar entry into the bloodstream, preventing sudden increases in blood sugar, resulting in reduced insulin production and therefore reduced cancer cell growth.

Occasional intake of foods with excessive sugar will NOT affect our health or fuel the development of cancer, as long as you follow a nutritional plan that includes limiting processed foods, adequate intake of protein and natural carbohydrates such as fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains, proper hydration and maintaining a healthy body weight.

The mental and emotional component of nutrition during cancer treatment is just as important as the nutritional component.

Patients may experience side effects from treatments, such as nausea, changes in taste, or difficulty swallowing.

During these periods, they can eat whatever they can tolerate, even if it contains some added sugar, and then return to a proper and balanced diet.

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