FCRC Beyond Blue Fall 2021 - Flipbook - Page 14
Feature STORY
Feature STORY
Sugar feeds cancer cells—
is this fact or crap? What is
your recommendation on sugar
to patients?
Nichole Andrews:
Crap. Cancer metabolism is very complex.
Cancer cells are not like normal cells. They divide
quicker and spread quicker. Cancer cells also use fats
and proteins as nutrients. The focus needs to be on
supporting your healthy cells. No foods are off-limits
during cancer treatment.
SCAN TO READ
Want to hear more from Nichole about what's
fact and what’s crap when it comes to food and
supplements for patients in and out of treatment?
GET OUR FACT OR CRAP
FOOD GUIDE.
Melissa Phelps:
Sarah Crowley:
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Melissa Phelps:
There is no “one-size-fits-all” diet, the magic
happens when it works for you. Many things need to
be taken into consideration for a healthy diet to be
successful: lifestyle, cancer stage, level of support,
cancer treatment plan, side effects, economic status,
likes and dislikes, and so much more. A tailored diet
accounting for all of these factors is what will help
you the most. Nutrition does play a major role in the
prevention, treatment, post-treatment, and survivorship
of CRC patients. Avoiding foods that may cause harm to
the individual may be more important, for example fried
foods, processed foods, and alcohol should be limited as
much as possible.
My advice is to work closely with your cancer
treatment team. Inquire about seeing an oncology
dietitian to personalize nutrition recommendations for
you during treatment. There are many ways to prevent
or lessen side effects from treatment with nutrition and
other natural remedies. Taking a proactive approach is
likely to be more beneficial than a reactive one. Also,
establish a relationship with your nurse navigator (if
available). The nurse can address any questions you
may have regarding medications, especially supportive
medications like those for nausea, diarrhea, and
constipation, and can clarify medical recommendations
that you may have misunderstood.
It seems like holistic,
integrative medicine clashes
with what’s considered Western
medicine, and patients get caught
in the crossfire and burdened with
making the decision about who
to trust. Why is this the case, and
is there a middle ground and a way
to incorporate strategies and tools
from both “sides?”
It is important not to start a supplement before
discussing it with your care team. Some supplements
can interfere with your cancer treatment or medications.
Also, supplements in the U.S. are not approved by the
Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Therefore, what is
in the supplement may not truly be what you are getting.
Many companies that sell supplements use marketing
campaigns geared toward patients with cancer to help
drive sales. These supplements may be costly and can
sometimes cause more harm than good.
Nonetheless, there may be a role in use of
a particular supplement or two during your
cancer treatment. Speaking with your care team,
including the dietitian, regarding supplement
questions would be most advantageous.
According to the 2017 American Institute of
Cancer Research (AICR) Cancer Risk Awareness Survey,
which included 1,004 adult respondents in the U.S.,
28% of Americans believe sugar directly feeds cancer.
However, research shows that sugar is only indirectly
linked to cancer since too much sugar in the diet can
lead to excess body fat and unintended weight gain. Per
the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), being overweight
or obese increases the risk for 13 different cancers,
including colon and rectal cancer. There are several
reasons why excess body fat, particularly belly fat, can
increase risk for cancer.
To understand the biophysiology, the basic building
block of sugar is glucose. All of our cells need glucose
to survive. In fact, when blood glucose is too low, you
could pass out. The human body has unique pathways
to convert non-glucose sources of energy into glucose
to prevent you from passing out. Therefore, cutting out
grains and fruits—and any other sources of food that
turn into glucose (sugar)—will not necessarily be helpful,
and, in fact, may be harmful.
SCAN TO READ
Scan to read Melissa’s post explaining
recommendations for a cancer-protective diet,
specially regarding sugar.
LEARN MORE ABOUT
SUGAR + CANCER
Let's talk about foods with
Genetically Modified Organisms
(GMOs) and organic foods. These
are two places patients quickly
examine when they have cancer.
There's so much fear, especially
around eating. Tips for how patients
can cope and where to turn?
Dr. Colin Zhu:
Do not fret, we live in a very toxic world,
unfortunately. Over the years, I researched and found
some great consumer resources. I would recommend
nutritionfacts.org for evidence-based food and
nutritional resources. And for the best independently
researched consumer guides for non-GMO and organicrelated topics, go to ewg.org/consumer-guides.
Melissa Phelps:
To date, there is not enough clinical evidence to
support that avoiding GMO foods can increase risk for
cancer. There is also not enough evidence to support
that eating organic foods can decrease risk for cancer.
The American Cancer Society (ACS) and the AICR panels
support these conclusions.
If you are concerned regarding the use of pesticides
on fruits and vegetables, you can refer to the Dirty
Dozen and Clean 15 lists that are released annually
from the Environmental Working Group. These lists
help guide consumers regarding organic versus
non-organic produce.
Nichole Andrews:
We are paying a lot more for our food to have
labels on them. With organics, I would not buy them.
They use pesticides. It doesn’t matter—synthetic or
organic pesticides. There is a percentage of residue
that is safe. Organics do not get tested often, so
testing is not regular. When they have done tests,
they have shown that organics have about the same
amount of residue level as conventional/non-organic
foods. There are no standards for that and no nutritional
differences. Same with GMOs. Some foods do not even
have a non-GMO option, like oranges for example.
I would not buy them.
Keep Reading
• Why do hospital menus appear to be unhealthy?
• How to stay hydrated when you don't feel like
drinking water?
• How much fiber should you eat as a CRC survivor?
SCAN TO KEEP READING ANSWERS TO THESE
QUESTIONS AND MORE.
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