The Blood Sugar Connection

Everyone knows that smoking is directly linked to numerous cancers. But how many of us realize that the extra pounds we’ve accumulated over the years could actually be more dangerous than cigarettes?

A study published in the British Journal of Public Health in 2001 exposed the fact that obese adults have more chronic health problems than those who smoke. In North America, at least 300,000 reported deaths occur each year from conditions directly attributable to excess body fat and obesity. These numbers are staggering.

According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2003, excess body fat may account for 20 percent of all cancer deaths in US women and 14 per cent in US men (Canadian figures are unknown at this time). This means that close to 100,000 cancer deaths each year could be prevented if the majority of us could maintain a normal, healthy body weight. Obesity increases our risk of cancer by raising the body’s levels of certain hormones like insulin and estrogen. High levels of these hormones - with the aid of Insulin Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1) - have the potential to stimulate rapid cell division, increasing our risk of cancers. Excess abdominal fat can disrupt insulin metabolism, in turn increasing the risk for colon cancer and other risks.

Obesity, diabetes, and their associated abnormal blood sugar levels were linked to an increased risk of pancreatic cancer - the fifth leading cause of cancer in North America- in research presented in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2000.

Control blood sugar levels and we can control weight and prevent cancer. To live a lean and healthy cancer-free life, first avoid smoking, which is the leading cause of cancer, and then prevent the big “C” by losing excess body fat.

Cancer Controls

Control your blood sugar levels through diet, exercise, supplements, and stress reduction.

Diet: Avoid processed carbohydrates and increase fibre intake. Also avoid sugar. Since 1931, when Nobel laureate German Otto Warburg, PhD, discovered that cancer cells have a completely different energy metabolism than healthy cells, we have known that sugar fuels cancer.

Exercise: During exercise, our muscles can use up to 30 times more blood sugar than at rest, all without the aid of insulin.

Supplements: Always use a high-quality multivitamin and mineral formula and make sure to get at least 200 mcg daily of the trace mineral chromium. Research suggests that chromium may improve the function of insulin, thereby helping to control excess blood sugar levels.

Stress-reduction: Meditation is one of the best ways to reduce stress. Excess stress can cause abnormal blood sugar levels.