Processed food….. a cause of cancer

Processed food….. a cause of cancer

Processed foods are part of our life these days, but how good are they for us? They are certainly more convenient and faster, and what we do know is that obesity and processed foods play a key role in cancer. Why?

New studies published over the last 2 years are discovering that insulin, the hormone released by the pancreas to lower blood sugar is an accessory to cancer! It is a life saver for diabetics but a killer for junk food addicts! It helps tumours to grow especially breast and prostate cancers.

Insulin helps body tissues to grow, a mechanism involving ‘insulin-like growth factors’ (IGF), but the process doesn’t only involve normal healthy tissue growth but also the development of tumours when the pancreas produces an excess of insulin.

The researchers have found a link between high insulin levels and carbohydrates, so that when carbohydrates are eliminated from the diet, tumour growth is slowed down or completely stopped. However it is not good to stop all carbohydrates, some are good for you.

Scientists have discovered that complex sugars known as ‘glycans’ appear to suppress tumour growth, these are the low glycaemic index carbohydrates, such as brown rice, lentils, green vegetables and peanuts. High glycaemic index foods such as sugar, sucrose, glucose, white bread, cereals and potatoes increase insulin levels and therefore increase IGF.

Furthermore tumour cells are know to have 10 times more insulin receptors than healthy cells which may explain why insulin helps tumour growth and development.

So lets get back to eating how our ancestors used to……fresh, organic, meat and vegetables!