The Age-Well Project

Change the way you age

Get our posts direct to your inbox

  • About The Age-Well Project
  • Books
    • Our Books
    • Reviews
    • References
  • Blog
  • Recipes
    • Recipes By Ingredient
    • Breakfast
    • Dessert
    • Dinner
    • Drinks
    • Family
    • On The Go
    • Soups and Salads
    • Treats and Snacks
  • Contact
  • Events
  • Press

FIVE FACTS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SUGAR AND CANCER

November 24, 2017 2 Comments

thinkofsugarlikeaspice0ae28094somethingtooccasionally0asprinkleonfoods-default

Never mind Black Friday, you know it’s nearly Christmas when the Quality Street and mince pies start circulating in the office. And don’t get me wrong – I’m rarely the person who says ‘No’ to a mid-afternoon sweet treat at this time of year. But we know that refined sugar is no friend to healthy ageing.

Refined sugar impacts every facet of our health.  And cancer, which devastates so many lives, is no exception.  A shocking report was published this week, which re-evaluates research done in Birmingham in the 1960s. The 50-year-old research appears to have uncovered a link between sugar intake and cancer (specifically, bladder cancer) but the initial research was funded by the Sugar Research Foundation. Funding was pulled when the sugar-cancer link was made and the findings were forgotten until now.  There could have been all sorts of reasons for this but isn’t it awful? Makes me very cross.

With that in mind, I’ve been researching sugar, diet  and cancer in recent days and these are five key points:

  1. More than 1 in 20 cancers in the UK are linked to being overweight or obese. And Cancer Research UK says ‘being overweight is the biggest single preventable cause of cancer after smoking.’ Being overweight is also linked to 13 types of cancer.
  1. Sugar can cause weight gain, of course, but does it actually, ‘cause cancer’? No, says Cancer Research. Healthy cells, and cancer cells, both use glucose in different ways. Healthy cells create energy using the mitochondria, cancer cells bypass this process. Known as the Warburg Effect, this allows cancer cells to generate energy more rapidly to meet demand.
  1. Scientists are trying to understand how to shut down energy generation by cancer cells without starving healthy cells. But it’s not a question of simply changing diet – read this from Cancer Research UK http://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org/2017/04/19/taking-advantage-of-cancers-abnormal-metabolism-could-lead-to-a-new-way-to-starve-tumours/
  1. Another area of research currently attracting widespread interest is insulin. Lewis Cantley, director of the Cancer Centre at Weill Cornell Medicine in the US, believes it may be the foods that spike insulin that need investigating rather than body weight. So simple sugars and carbs, which elevate insulin levels, are the real danger, rather than what we see on the scales.
  1. His research reveals how insulin activates the signalling pathway known as PI3-kinase: the key to the growth of many cancers. He says “So if you follow the logic that anything that drives activation of PI3-kinase ultimately results in cancer, and that insulin is the best way to do it, then that suggests that having high levels of insulin is likely to drive your cancer. And what drives insulin levels is sugar.”

So the next time the Quality Street come round I’ll try to remember that while this is the season of sugar and spice, it’s time to start treating sugar itself as a spice.

 

Susan

 

  • Conditions: Cancer
« THESE NUTS COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE (YES, REALLY!)
HOW TO AVOID BOWEL CANCER & BEST EVER SQUASH SOUP »

Comments

  1. hilary defriez says

    November 24, 2017 at 5:33 pm

    I am delighted that you have raised this. My husband was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer, which has spread to his bones, 3 years ago (weight not an issue). Almost the first thing he discovered when researching how best to help himself was the sugar/cancer link. He mentioned this to the NHS oncologist, who at first said she was unaware of the fact – and then admitted that she knew about it but ‘we don’t tell patients’. We were flabbergasted – why not tell people about the one relatively easy thing they can do which might help slow down cancer growth? We are not naive enough to speak of ‘cure’. He has been given no dietary advice whatsoever by the NHS, but follows a ketogenic diet.

    Reply
    • Susan Saunders says

      November 24, 2017 at 5:44 pm

      Thank you so much for sharing this Hilary. Do you think the ketogenic diet has made a difference?

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Welcome to The Age-Well Project

Welcome to The Age-Well Project!
Here you’ll find easy changes for a longer, happier life. We’ve immersed ourselves in the science of longevity and distilled the research to make it work in our everyday lives. You can change the way you age: here’s how.

Favourite Posts

WHY I’VE THROWN OUT ALL MY BEAUTY PRODUCTS (nearly…)

Why Alzheimer’s Is A Women’s Issue

HOW HAVING A DOG CHANGED MY LIFE

GREEN SPACE IS GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH

SUGAR, CHOCOLATE, SADNESS AND BRAIN-BOOSTING BISCUITS

WHY ‘INFLAMM-AGEING’ COULD START IN THE GUT AND HARISSA-ROASTED VEGETABLE SALAD

POLYAMINES – THE NEW SECRET WEAPON FOR AGEING WELL & MOROCCAN SPINACH AND CHICKPEAS.

THINNING AGEING HAIR – WARM CHICKEN LIVER SALAD

About The Age Well Project

This site is for anyone who wants to make the second half of their life as healthy, happy and disease-free as possible. Sign up to get the latest research on ageing – and delicious recipes to match – direct to your inbox.

agewellproject

⭐️Change the way you age
📚The Age-Well Project + Age-Well Plan ⭐️Get tips & recipes on our blog - sign up ⬇️

The Age-Well Project blog
Make the most of the light summer evenings (in the Make the most of the light summer evenings (in the northern hemisphere at least) by going on a scented walk!

Our olfactory bulb (the cluster of smell cells at the top of our nostrils) more receptive in spring and summer, and not only are plants more likely to be in full perfumed bloom, but the warmer air also traps these molecules for longer. 

Now, here’s the interesting bit. Loss of smell has been linked to neurodegenerative disease, with some researchers suggesting that smell tests should be routinely offered by doctors. A 2022 study found that loss of smell (known as anosmia) was an important early sign of Alzheimer’s-related cognitive impairment.

But there’s no need to panic, because studies also show that our olfactory system is much like a muscle – use it or lose it. So get out there and sniff the air! There’s more on the blog - link in bio 

#longevity #womenover50 #agewell #ageingwell #agingwell #longevityblog #healthblog #agewellblog #over50bloggers #womenover50 #healthspan #womenover60 #postmenopause #postmenopausalhealth #alzheimers #preventalzheimers
What do you want to achieve for your bones?’ T What do you want to achieve for your bones?’ 

This interesting question came from Rebekah Rotstein, who has worked with the Royal Osteoporosis Society and is founder of movement system Buff Bones @gotbuffbones when Susan interviewed her for The Power Decade. 

We thought the answer was that we wanted them to be dense, because that would protect them in the years ahead. Rebekah invited us to view this another way, ‘Your goal is not just to have high bone density,’ she explained. ‘Your goal is to not fracture and to live a full, independent life. You do this by strengthening your bones and body. But you also need to maintain and improve your balance and responsiveness to avoid falls because falls lead to fractures.’

We’re big fans of the ‘brushing your teeth standing on one leg’ trick to add extra age-well benefits to this most regular of tasks by improving balance. When we do it, we can feel movement – and a bit of a wobble – in our feet. Rebekah explains that this movement is also a form of calibration, helping us maintain balance. She urges us to try this barefoot because, as we age, we lose dexterity in our feet: we want to be able to feel the messages they’re sending us.

There’s more on better bone health on the blog - link in bio

#longevity #womenover50 #agewell #ageingwell #agingwell #longevityblog #healthblog #agewellblog #over50bloggers #womenover50 #healthspan #womenover60 #postmenopause #postmenopausalhealth #bonehealth #osteoporosis #osteopenia #balance #buffbones
Beans for breakfast?! Yes please. On a recent trip Beans for breakfast?! Yes please. On a recent trip to Jordan, Annabel started her day with foul, made from fava beans. 

The Jordanians mash the cooked beans and serve them warm from a swan-necked vessel using a Harry Potter-ish long-handled ladle.  The beans are then drizzled and scattered with various spices, sauces and olive oil. 

Full of protein and fibre, it’s a great way to start the day. The (super-simple) recipe is on the blog, link in bio 

#longevity #womenover50 #agewell #ageingwell #agingwell #longevityblog #healthblog #agewellblog #over50bloggers #womenover50 #healthspan #womenover60 #postmenopause #postmenopausalhealth #breakfast #breakfastrecipes #favabeans
Grab some GABA! This neurotransmitter is linked to Grab some GABA! This neurotransmitter is linked to better sleep and mood - but needs progesterone to produce it. This is why post-menopausal women are more likely to experience insomnia and anxiety. 

But there are actions we can take to produce more GABA naturally. Save this post for future reference and check out our GABA blog post - link in bio

And save this for future reference 😊

#longevity #womenover50 #agewell #ageingwell #agingwell #longevityblog #healthblog #agewellblog #over50bloggers #womenover50 #healthspan #womenover60 #postmenopause #postmenopausalhealth #GABA #neurotransmitter
A three-page interview of Annabel in today’s @ob A three-page interview of Annabel in today’s @obsmagazine extolling the benefits of walking, and of being outdoors. Just in case you’ve had your fill of the coronation… ´Walking is freedom, an escape for the mind and the body.’ 

Hear hear!
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Contact Us

For any enquiries please email theagewellproject@gmail.com.

Copyright © 2023 The Age-Well Project