High carbohydrate diet can increase cancer risk in women

Main Category: Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 04 Feb 2004 - 0:00 PDT

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Some women who eat certain high-carbohydrates in abundance could be at an increased risk of colecteral cancer (Journal of the National Cancer Institute).

Foods, such as cakes, cookies and high GI products (GI = Glycemic Index) bring about a sudden surge in blood sugar. This prompts the body to produce high amounts of insulin.

Insulin helps convert the sugar (glucose) into energy. Insulin stimulates cells to divide, it keeps them alive for longer than normal. This phenomenon could encourage the growth of tumors (UK spelling - tumours).

The study monitored more than 38,000 women for about eight years. 174 had colecteral cancer.

The women who were on a high glycemic foods diet were over two times as likely to develop colecteral cancer (than those who were not).

The study was carried out at the Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston (both in USA).

The experts were intrigued by the results.

'You may pay for that sugar high in more ways than you realize,' said Michael Thun, head of epidemiologic research for the American Cancer Society. He went on to say that more studies were needed.

(Spelling: UK - realise. USA - realize)