‘Cancer thrives on sugar’ is one of the many myths associated with cancer as a leading culprit.
A cancer tumour is made up of cells as is the rest of our body. All cells in our body need energy to function regardless of where they are found. Sugar is turned into energy by the body. The energy allows the cell to grow and reproduce. This energy is obtained in the form of the simple sugar called glucose created when food is broken down. Most sugars come from carbs. White sugar we add to our tea is called sucrose, which is broken down into glucose and fructose, both converted to energy.
There is no difference between the glucose obtained from white sugar and that in a plate of pasta. No matter whether the cell is cancerous or not, it will still use the energy from glucose to function. Sugar is not especially taken up by cancer cells or lead to it spreading further. Sugar provides energy for all the cells in the body according to their needs.
This does not mean that added sugars are good for you. Overconsumption of sugar may lead to obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease that may in turn lead to various types of cancer. Regular exercise, a balanced diet and controlling that waistline are still the best advice to reduce cancer risk.
Once carbohydrates are broken down, glucose travels through the blood to supply all cells in the body. The remaining fructose then needs to be broken down further by the liver, which is why added sugars cause extra strain on the liver. The hormone insulin, produced in the pancreas, regulates glucose levels in the blood. When overworked, the pancreas may become less effective at producing insulin, which leads to diabetes.
Nowadays sugar is added to most processed foods we eat. Reducing the amount of processed foods is always a good idea but it will not cure cancer. Cancer patients should not be given false hope or misleading suggestions.
Dietary advice should be based on scientific and nutritional facts. This applies to everyone, especially cancer patients.
Did you know!
• Malta’s largest science and arts festival celebrates the EU-wide European Researchers’ Night and is one of the largest (in terms of audience numbers). Hitting Valletta’s streets on Friday after 6pm: scienceinthecity.org.mt
• More time has passed between the stegosaurus and the T-Rex than between the T-Rex and now.
• Even though humans are slower than the animals they used to hunt over short distances, hunters used to pursue their prey until exhaustion.
• On Neptune and Uranus, it actually rains diamonds.
• Female chimpanzees have been observed to exchange sexual favours with male chimpanzees for food.
For more trivia see: www.um.edu.mt/think
Sound bites
• A tidal disruption is when a supermassive black hole pulls apart a star and consumes it. Two new methods have been developed to observe this phenomenon. The first method uses infrared and the second uses galaxy dust as an echo. The scientists researching this used images by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) telescope and have observed this phenomenon in galaxies.
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/09/160919214955.htm
• The oldest rock in the world has been precisely dated to 4.02 billion years old. Only three locations: Northern Quebec, Canada’s northwest territories and western Australia have shown to have rocks older than four billion years. Though it is estimated that the first rocks were formed before this time, this oldest rock has traces of zircon in it confirming its age. Zircon is a convenient mineral as it keeps its chemical signature and age information.
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/09/160919121941.htm
• For more digestible science, tune in to Radio Mocha www.facebook.com/RadioMochaMalta