Nutrition-green tea, sugar

I am very confused.  I am reading from this cite that fructose in fruit juice is not good for any one who has gone through cancer.  I have been drinking a LOT of Lipton Green Tea (has antioxidants) because I love it. I just looked at the label and it said high fructose level. Now I am scared.  Also, should people who have gone through cancer stay away from sugar altogther?  No cake or ice cream,  even once in a while?  Lastly, my nutritionist said to stay away from soybeans and flaxseed.  On this site I am reading that it is GOOD. Is there an expert out there that can advise me on these questions?   

 

On 11/18/2008 pret13 wrote:

I am very confused.  I am reading from this cite that fructose in fruit juice is not good for any one who has gone through cancer.  I have been drinking a LOT of Lipton Green Tea (has antioxidants) because I love it. I just looked at the label and it said high fructose level. Now I am scared.  Also, should people who have gone through cancer stay away from sugar altogther?  No cake or ice cream,  even once in a while?  Lastly, my nutritionist said to stay away from soybeans and flaxseed.  On this site I am reading that it is GOOD. Is there an expert out there that can advise me on these questions?   

Yes, these ARE confusing issues.

I've done a LOT of research on natural treatment for cancer, so I think I can answer a few of your questions. 

Most simple sugars are NOT a good choice for cancer.  Cancer cells require a LOT of energy, and they like to get it from sugar. Glucose, sucrose, lactose, dextrose - not good choices.  However, fructose is actually a GOOD sugar choice, in that fructose inhibits glycolysis (fermentation of sugar), which is the means by which cancer cells  get their energy. Doesn't mean you can go overboard on fructose, but raw fruits and veggies that contain fructose are ok, as is small amounts of crystallized fructose.  As for fruit juice - don't add any sugar. 

Now, about the green tea.  Buy either green tea bags, or loose leaf green tea, and brew your own. Use the purest water you can get - either steam-distilled or filtered thru reverse osmosis is best.  Then if you need a sweetener, either use small amounts of crystallized fructose or 100% pure organic honey. (100% pure maple syrup is also OK as a sweetener , but I don't think it would taste very good with green tea.) Don't depend on the sweeteners in store-bought green tea - if it says high fructose level, chances are that it has been made with high fructose corn syrup, which is an absolute no-no.  (One among many reasons why soda pop is also a no-no.)

(Fructose, and high fructose corn syrup are NOT the same thing. If you're going to buy a sweetener, get 100% pure organic crystallized fructose - available at health food stores and online.  AVOID high fructose corn syrup.)

As for deserts, unless you know that they are made of just the natural fruit, and only fructose as sweetener, stay away from them. A small bit of cake or ice cream for a special occaision is ok - everybody needs to celebrate, and enjoy a holiday etc, but this really needs to be limited to a small portion only on that special day. 

STEVIA is an herb that is an excellent sweetener, and offers no risk as concerns cancer.  just be careful - it is much more sweet than sugar - a tiny little bit goes a very long way.

About soybean and flaxseed: both contain phytochemicals called phytoestrogen. (plant estrogen)  For those who have an estrogen receptor positive (or progestin receptor positive) cancer, there is some concern that they can feed the cancer instead of fighting it.  Many researchers are coming to the conclusion that natural foods and herbs that contain very strong phytoestrogens will feed cancer, while those containing weak phytoestrogens will act as estrogen blockers (the same mechanism as tamoxifen.) 

Some researchers say that soy inhibits breast cancer. some say that it promotes breast cancer, and some say that it has no effect either way. So the jury's still out on this.  Soy contains genistein and isoflavones; there are attempts to differentiate between the effect of genistein and that of isoflavones - those results just aren't in yet, either.  So, as to whether soy is beneficial or harmful - you're probably going to continue to hear all kinds of different things, because there just isn't overall conclusive evidence that the medical and natural communities are both willing to accept.

Personally, I take a practical approach to the question of soy.  For years, soy - especially soy milk, tofu, soybeans - have been recommended as a natural hormone replacement treatment for menopause, and many thousands of women have had success in relieving hot flashes, etc, caused by menopause.  If soy it this effective as a hormone replacer - I question the advisability of depending on it as a hormone blocker, so I recommend that women avoid soy and choose less questionable naturals for this purpose. 

Flaxseed is a little different.  Yes, it contains phytoestrogens, too, and it very definitely is a cancer fighter due to some other phytochemicals it contains. Very small amounts of ground flaxseed may possibly act as estrogen blockers. Howeverm, large amounts of flaxseed or concentrated flax oil can actually serve as hormone replacers (a friend of mine who is several years post-menopausal and who is very slender and muscular - doesn't have much fat to produce estrogen - started taking flax oil in yogurt to alleviate some of the sypmptoms of low estrogen levels. This was so successful that she actually started having periods again - when she stopped the flax oil - the periods went away.)  SO - a tsp or less of ground flaxseed/day might be ok, but I wouldn't recommend even that much flaxoil per day, as the phytoestrogens in it are much more concentrated.  And if you do use flax to fight cancer, the lignins in the hulls of the seed are one of the primary cancer fighters, so using ground flax seed is a better choice in  that respect, also.

Many women with breast cancer use the Budwig diet - flax oil and cottage cheese - and say it has helped fight the breast cancer. Johanna Budwig theorized that when flaxoil binds to cottage cheese it actually forms a new compound with new properties that you don't get from either alone. She may very well have been right - but personally, I am not willing to take the chance that the strong phytoestrogens in the flax oil are going to feed rather than fight my cancer, so I use only 1/4 tsp ground flax seed in 1/4 - 1/2 cup cottage cheese every day, and otherwise avoid flax in any form for ingestion.)

(I do, however, use very tiny amounts of flax oil mixed with vaseline to locally treat vaginal dryness/atrophy caused by the estrogen depletion after hysterectomy and removal of ovaries combined with the anti-estrogen natural therapy I use to keep cancer in remission. Just that tiny amount replenishes those tissues very well - proof enough for me that flax oil contains powerful enough phytoestrogens to act as a hormone replacer rather than blocker.)

If your nutritionist is advising you avoid flax and soy, I would say to follow her recommendations. There are plenty of other things you can do naturally to fight or prevent cancer.  Take a look at my blog for some examples:

http://motherearthtreasurechest.blogspot.com/2008/09/my-pers

FOr more information on fructose and other natural cancer fighters, take a look at this page from the AP John Cancer Institute - scroll down to the Integrative Therapy section, phase 2 and 3.  I am not recommending the total diet, but rather the specific foods that are explained as cancer fighters.

http://www.apjohncancerinstitute.org/cancer/breast-c.htm

Sincerely,

Tre

 

 

Hello,

Just for another opinion here, I am over a year in remission, and my understanding is that ALL sugars feed cancer, including honey, fruit juices, fructose, etc.

What has helped me and many others I know is lots of protein and veges and lots of green tea and pau darco tea. No soy, definitely not. I and many others do not take any chances with any of the above and it has served us well.

However, everyone must find their own path. This has been my experience and those of others I know. Just to add another voice.

Best of Luck to All

 

On 11/18/2008 pret13 wrote:

I am very confused.  I am reading from this cite that fructose in fruit juice is not good for any one who has gone through cancer.  I have been drinking a LOT of Lipton Green Tea (has antioxidants) because I love it. I just looked at the label and it said high fructose level. Now I am scared.  Also, should people who have gone through cancer stay away from sugar altogther?  No cake or ice cream,  even once in a while?  Lastly, my nutritionist said to stay away from soybeans and flaxseed.  On this site I am reading that it is GOOD. Is there an expert out there that can advise me on these questions?   

 

I'm not a Doctor and/or an expert however have been through cancer sites including this one from what I have read you maybe confusing some facts as to what you've read. Soy and Flaxseed are good preventative things to take as a preventative measure but help the cancer progress once it takes hold. Same with sugar from what I've read American consumer something like 30lbs of sugar in their diets a year compared to 40 yrs ago. Read the labels of the food almost everything has sugar in it even things you would never believe should contain sugar. This also goes for MSG which you can now see a major soup company is finally removing it from it's line, unfortunately money drive most of these companies and this country.Certain govermental agencies turn blind eye to these issues because the R & D of Pharmaceutical  companies with teach doctors and these agencies ( sounds self serving because it is) won't and don't talk about alternative treatments because it doesn't sell drugs because it doesn't put money in the pockets. Read as much as possible you can also subscribe to newsweek.com and cancerdecisions.com newsletters and get enough information. When you ask you Dr about some of this he may hemm and haw because either he doesn't know or he knows but because of the ADA and the AMA he can't comment under threat of losing his license. I recently mentioned this to a foremost cancer Doctor at a leading University who actually help write the Cancer treatment policies he was tougue tied to answer me  and then offered me a job.

I am a 14 year survivor of matasticized ovarian cancer with no recurrences.  I basically eat and drink whatever I want within reason.  Go figure....

Sorry forgot to mention to you that natural sugars found in natural foods fruits etc are fine it's the refined sugars that are the problems. and again this is from what I've read I'm not a Doctor.

You guys seem to be quite knowledgeable about this stuff. Here's my quandary. I had a rare facial angiosarcoma about 2 years ago, had it cut out, then radiation. A month ago, a lump showed up in my salivary gland, turned out to be same thing metastatic, they did a 6 hour parotidectomy two weeks ago, now more rads coming up. I have eaten like a monk and exercised for 30 years. Fish, chicken, fruits and veggies. And some wine. LOL Didn't apparently help...so I'm considering a "ketosis" diet a friend gave me, who's been in remission for a couple years and believes this is the answer. I ain't real sure, but since what I was doing didn't keep this from coming back, I am more than ready to try ANYTHING else to keep it at bay. This surgery/radiation thing is getting kinda old. And I've got way too many good things to do with my life to knuckle under to this. Anyone have any experience with this diet? It's a zero carb (which seems to be about 90% of most foods!) high fat diet but using decent foods, not the crap that Atkins wanted you to eat. Would be interested in any data or thoughts anyone had. Thanks. Rik

This is all very interesting and I certainly appreciative all of the thoughtful comments.

My mother was diagnosed with Stage IV NSCLC approximately 2 months ago.  She is a lifetime non-smoker and has been on Tarceva.  We hope it is working, but won't know until her PET Scan in a few weeks.

Here is my question for anyone who can answer it:

I read somewhere that pumpkin is good for fighting cancer.  Does anyone know anything specific about that?

 Also, does anyone know if lentils are good, bad, or indifferent?  I know that they are a good source of protein, which I believe is what my mother needs.

Anyway, depending on the responses I receive, I was thinking of whipping up some big batches of pumpkin soup and lentil soup.

Thanks,

Robert

  There is a REALLY STUPID AND FALSE  e-mail that has resurfaced recently claiming researchers at Johns Hopkins have uncovered special eating techniques and foods you must completely avoid (i.e. sugar as it feeds cancer cells (NOT TRUE)), etc.  Check out snopes.com and search for Johns Hopkins.  It will clarify what I am trying to say, that is, the info sent by e-mail is completely false.  As a survivor who is currently riding a high because I am still in remission felt like I got kicked in the gut when a well-meaning friend sent the e-mail to me!

  Take heart and eat what seems right to you and strive to make your plate colorful!

Nadine