Dr. Sanjay Gupta: If you limit your sugar you decrease your chances of developing cancer?

Lewis Cantley, PhD: Absolutely.

Cantley, a Harvard professor and the head of the Beth Israel Deaconess Cancer Center, says when we eat or drink sugar, it causes a sudden spike in the hormone insulin, which can serve as a catalyst to fuel certain types of cancers.

Lewis Cantley: What we’re beginning to learn is that insulin can cause adverse effects in the various tissues. And of particular concern is cancer.

Why? Nearly a third of some common cancers—including breast and colon cancers—have something called insulin receptors on their surface. Insulin binds to these receptors and signals the tumor to start consuming glucose [which allows it to grow].

Lewis Cantley: Every cell in our body needs glucose to survive. But the trouble is, these cancer cells also use it to grow. So if you happen to have the tumor that has insulin receptors on it then it will get stimulated to take up the glucose that’s in the bloodstream rather than go into fat or muscle, the glucose goes into the tumor. And the tumor uses it to grow.

Lewis Cantley’s research team is working on developing drugs that will cut off the glucose supply to cancer cells and keep them from growing. But until there’s a breakthrough, Cantley’s advice? Don’t eat sugar. And if you must, keep it to a minimum.

Cantley, a Harvard professor and the head of the Beth Israel Deaconess Cancer Center, says when we eat or drink sugar, it causes a sudden spike in the hormone insulin, which can serve as a catalyst to fuel certain types of cancers.

Lewis Cantley: What we’re beginning to learn is that insulin can cause adverse effects in the various tissues. And of particular concern is cancer.

Why? Nearly a third of some common cancers—including breast and colon cancers—have something called insulin receptors on their surface. Insulin binds to these receptors and signals the tumor to start consuming glucose [which allows it to grow].

Lewis Cantley: Every cell in our body needs glucose to survive. But the trouble is, these cancer cells also use it to grow. So if you happen to have the tumor that has insulin receptors on it then it will get stimulated to take up the glucose that’s in the bloodstream rather than go into fat or muscle, the glucose goes into the tumor. And the tumor uses it to grow.

Sleeping pills are estimated to cause 320,000 to 507,000 excess deaths per year in US alone according to a recent study by researchers at Scripps Clinic Viterbi Family Sleep Center in La Jolla, California, USA.

“Rough order-of-magnitude estimates at the end of the supplemental files suggest that in 2010, hypnotics may have been associated with 320 000 to 507 000 excess deaths in the USA alone,” the paper notes.

People taking just 18 to 132 sleeping pills per year—the average in this group was 57 pills per year—were 20% more likely to develop a major cancer over an average follow-up of 2.5 years compared to nonusers according to a recent study by researchers at Scripps Clinic Viterbi Family Sleep Center in La Jolla, California, USA.

People taking just more than 132 sleeping pills per year—the average in this group was 469 pills per year—were 35% more likely to develop a major cancer over an average follow-up of 2.5 years compared to nonusers according to a recent study by researchers at Scripps Clinic Viterbi Family Sleep Center in La Jolla, California, USA.

Sleeping pills are associated with an increased risk of

• depression
• suicide
• falls
• car crashes
• infections
• regurgitation
• hypertension
• heart failure
• arrhythmias
• cardiovascular diseases
• cancer, and
• death

as noted in a recent study by researchers at Scripps Clinic Viterbi Family Sleep Center in La Jolla, California, USA.

They noted that “Infections, in turn, are major causes of mortality and cancer.”

They also noted that sleeping pills may:

• increase sleep apnoea
• prolong apnoeas
• cause night eating syndrome leading to obesity
• sleeping pills have been shown to be cancer-causing in rats.


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Every one serving increase of unprocessed red meat per day associated with 10% greater risk of death from cancer (CVD) over 22 to 28 years according to two studies analyzed by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Every one serving increase of unprocessed red meat per day associated with 16% greater risk of death from cancer (CVD) over 22 to 28 years according to two studies analyzed by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Replacing one serving of red meat per day with one serving of fish would reduce the risk of death by an estimated 7% over 22 to 28 years according to two studies analyzed by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Replacing one serving of red meat per day with one serving of legumes would reduce the risk of death by an estimated 10% over 22 to 28 years according to two studies analyzed by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Replacing one serving of red meat per day with one serving of low-fat dairy would reduce the risk of death by an estimated 10% over 22 to 28 years according to two studies analyzed by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Replacing one serving of red meat per day with one serving of poultry would reduce the risk of death by an estimated 14% over 22 to 28 years according to two studies analyzed by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Replacing one serving of red meat per day with one serving of whole grains would reduce the risk of death by an estimated 14% over 22 to 28 years according to two studies analyzed by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Replacing one serving of red meat per day with one serving of nuts would reduce the risk of death by an estimated 19% over 22 to 28 years according to two studies analyzed by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

“Oncologists and others pretend that they can cure 60% of cancers when nothing of the sort is true,” writes Joel M. Kauffman, PhD, the author of Malignant Medical Myths: Why Medical Treatment Causes 200,000 Deaths in the USA each Year, and How to Protect Yourself.

“Annual mammography to detect breast cancer is a needless expense and pain with no effect on all-cause mortality rates,” writes Joel M. Kauffman, PhD, the author of Malignant Medical Myths: Why Medical Treatment Causes 200,000 Deaths in the USA each Year, and How to Protect Yourself.

“Trans fatty acids are sufficiently similar to natural fats that the body readily incorporates them into the cell membrane; once there their altered chemical structure creates havoc with thousands of necessary chemical reactions—everything from energy provision to prostaglandin production,” writes lipid biochemist, Mary Enig, PhD, and journalist, Sally Fallon Morell in a wonderful, eye-opening article about fats and heart disease titled The Oiling of America.
“But most of the trans isomers in modern hydrogenated fats are new to the human physiology and by the early 1970’s a number of researchers had expressed concern about their presence in the American diet, noting that their increasing use had paralleled the increase in both heart disease and cancer,” they note.

Hypoglycemia, defined as having a blood sugar level of 69 mg/dl or less, increased the risk of dying from cancer by 2.3-fold (126%) during the next eight years in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) compared to those with normal blood sugar levels of 80-109 mg/dl according to a 2004 study.

The one-fifth of women with the highest magnesium intake—more than 255 mg per day—had a 55% lower risk of rectal cancer than the one-fifth of women with the lowest magnesium intake—less than 209 mg per day—according to a study from Sweden.

The one-fifth of women with the highest magnesium intake—more than 255 mg per day—had a 34% lower risk of colon cancer than the one-fifth of women with the lowest magnesium intake—less than 209 mg per day—according to a study from Sweden.

Rhodiola rosea may be useful in cancer treatments, inhibiting tumor growth and decreasing metastasis ( the spread of cancer ) according to research done in rats as noted in the monograph for Rhodiola rosea.

It was found to “[ enhance ] anti-tumor and anti-metastatic efficacy of drug treatment, as well as [ reduce ] drug-induced toxicity.”

Rhodiola rosea also prevented liver toxicity of a cancer drug.

Thyroid expert, Broda Barnes, MD, PhD found that heart attacks increased in Graz, Austria from one in 125 to one in 14 after antibiotics were introduced which prevented early deaths from tuberculosis, Mark Starr, MD notes in this audio clip.

After analyzing 70,000 autopsies, Barnes also noted that prior to 1945 when antibiotics were introduced, people dying of tuberculosis had advanced atherosclerosis in their coronary arteries. After the introduction of antibiotics which prevented these deaths, deaths from heart attacks increased nearly 9-fold, from one in 125 deaths, to one in 14 deaths.

Barnes also found that those dying of heart attacks, had evidence that they had had tuberculosis in their lungs.

He then realized that hypothyroidism was the cause of both conditions.

He also found that deaths from various cancers and emphysema increased 3-fold or more, suggesting to Barnes that hypothyroidism increases the risk of cancer and emphysema, and that treated people with desiccated thyroid might reduce the risk.

(In a speech Barnes gave, he noted that cancer deaths in his patients treated with desiccated thyroid were about half the national average in the U.S.)

Here is a short audio clip of Dr. Starr talking about this in a speech he gave at a 2007 Orthomolecular Conference.

Hypothyroidism increases the risk of cancer according to Broda Barnes, MD, PhD, someone who studied thyroid for more than 50 years.

He also notes that in his patients on desiccated thyroid, the incidence of cancer was about half that of the national average.

This one-minute audio clip is from from a speech he gave called “The Importance of Thyroid Therapy in Preventive Medicine”. The text of the audio clip is below.

The consumption of refined cereals increases the risk of gastrointestinal cancers and thyroid cancer 30-100% according to a study from Italy.

A body mass index of 23 to 24.9 is associated with a 14% increase risk in colorectal cancer compared to those with a body mass index of less than 23 according to an analysis a 56 studies.

A BMI Table can be found here.