糖,糖

就像虚构的摇滚乐队一样, The Archies did all right for themselves (my apologies if I shattered any cherished illusions in my fellow Boomers/Busters). In 1969, the band claimed the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 year-end chart with its mega-hit “糖,糖,” beating out “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” by the real-life Fifth Dimension. 啊，这样的回忆!

这支乐队可能把糖纺成了金子, but to many people thinking about cancer sugar is neither sweet nor precious. In office conversations with persons dealing with a cancer diagnosis and their family members and friends, 我们经常讨论营养. Often I hear questions about the place of table sugar, either by itself or as an ingredient in numerous tasty but not always “good for you” foods such as pastries and candy. Many people believe that eating sugar increases the risk of developing cancer or can accelerate the growth of cancer cells. 糖 “feeds” cancer, or so this belief maintains. Consequently, someone with cancer should avoid ingesting any sugar.

Does eating simple sugar (as opposed to complex carbohydrates such as starch) cause cancer or worsen the prospects for someone who has cancer and is under treatment for it? 不加修饰的答案是:不.

那么，这个想法的起源是什么呢? Why is sugar so often cast in the role of nutritional villain?

Table sugar is sucrose, a compound of glucose and fructose. Glucose, with oxygen, is the source of energy that fuels all cellular metabolism. If we don’t get glucose, our cells make it out of other compounds, including fats and proteins. Our bodies cannot use fructose without modification; about half of it is converted to glucose and the remainder turned into lactic acid (the stuff that makes your muscles feel tired when you exercise strenuously). So, one way or another, human cells will get their sugar (glucose) fix. 人类癌细胞也是这样运作的, except that they often operate at a higher metabolic rate, meaning they chew up glucose and oxygen faster than most normal cells, cardiac muscle and neurons being exceptions. This property of cancer cells is known as the Warburg Effect. Otto Warburg was a German chemist who studied cancer and cellular metabolism in the first half of the 20th century. Positron emission tomography (PET) scans take advantage of the Warburg Effect to help identify areas of abnormally high metabolism as a clue to the location of cancer cells.

So, cancer cells, like all of our cells, have a sweet tooth. But this seems to play no role in their becoming cancerous in the first place, nor does sugar make the cancer cells any more active or dangerous than they already are. 糖是现成的. Even if someone with cancer avoids eating sugar in any form, her body will simply make it from what is ingested. 到目前为止, no scientific study has shown a link between sugar ingestion and higher incidence of cancer or worse outcomes in existing cancer. However, an association definitely exists between obesity and increased risk of cancer. Overall excessive consumption of calories, including sugar sources, will bring on obesity. We want to avoid obesity with all its attendant adverse effects on health, cancer included.

So, 如果你正在治疗癌症, you can still enjoy that favorite candy bar or cream-filled doughnut, and you can top a generous slice of your favorite pie with a dollop of ice cream. 只要克制和节制就行了. And make sure you’re eating as nutritiously as possible. The CHMC oncology service provides consultation with clinical nutritionists who are eager to help you make the most of your eating habits. Then, right along with The Archies, you can be “Feelin’ So Good.”