Should cancer patients avoid sugar and milk?

Cancer patients may benefit from avoiding sugar and other fast carbohydrates. Unlike normal cells, cancer cells can use glucose as an energy source. And this is the main component of carbohydrates.

By limiting your carbohydrate intake, you slow down the growth of cancer cells. But there is no evidence that cancer patients should not drink milk. Although some experts argue that the high estrogen content in cow's milk can stimulate the development of cancer tumors.

Glucose is the preferred fuel for cells. Its conversion into energy is much easier and faster than working with other nutrients. When glucose levels are limited, normal cells in the body metabolize fatty acids, ketone bodies (a byproduct of fat metabolism), and amino acids (the building blocks of protein). According to an article published in the April 2000 issue of Nutrition Science News, cancer cells are metabolically different from each other. Most do not contain the enzymes needed to metabolize fats or proteins. Thus, they are dependent on glucose. This means that if you limit your intake of carbohydrates, the main source of glucose, you can slow down the division of cancer cells. Simply put, without glucose, a tumor can die of starvation.

In 2007, the Würzburg Hospital in Germany conducted a clinical trial of an eating regimen known as the ketogenic diet. This complex is a diet that is low in carbohydrates, sufficient protein and high in fat. The diet was originally used to treat epilepsy in children. However, the low carbohydrate content of the diet allows the nutritional complex to be used in the treatment of cancer. All cancer patients who survived to the end of the study at the Würzburg hospital had positive results. In most patients, the tumors had stopped growing by the end of the study.

There is no evidence that you should not drink milk if you have cancer. According to a study published in the October 2004 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, there is a link between increased growth and breast cancer. Obviously, drinking milk as a child can increase height, but it can also increase the risk of developing breast cancer. A 2004 study found no correlation between current milk consumption and breast cancer.

If you have been diagnosed with cancer, you can still consume milk and dairy products. However, industrially produced milk products can be dangerous for you. According to an article in the December 2006 issue of The Harvard University Gazette, mass dairy producers keep cows pregnant for most of the year to ensure high milk production. Large amounts of estrogen released by pregnant cows ends up in milk. Because there is a link between high estrogen levels and breast cancer, patients with breast cancer Mass produced milk should be avoided. As opposed to whole milk, organic milk contains less estrogen and is safer for humans.

Milk and sugar can be consumed during oncology, but in moderate doses. For more detailed advice contact Onco Care Clinic 308. Our specialists are always ready to answer all your questions, including the most unusual and non-trivial ones.