The founder and lead surgeon of the North Texas Cancer Center at Wise talks about sugar’s role in cancer.

Decatur, TX – With America on track to witness the diagnosis of 1.7 million new cancer patients this year alone, there’s a lot of important buzz about prevention. One substance that has been cast in a negative light is sugar. While it’s true sugar, in its glucose form, serves as a fuel for cancer cells, the bad rap it has received is not entirely fair.

“While cutting down on sugar is important for all sorts of reasons, including potentially lowering cancer risk, doing without it entirely is unhealthy for the body,” says Dr. Gregory Echt, founder and lead surgeon at the North Texas Cancer Center at Wise. “Glucose does serve as a fuel source for cancer cells, but the reality is it also fuels healthy cells throughout the body. Direct links between sugar and cancer have not been found. There are some indirect links though that people should be aware of.”

Although attempting to battle cancer by staving its cells of glucose will likely result in healthy cells being damaged, as well, cutting down on processed sugar and eating a healthy, balanced diet is a smart idea, health professionals say. One of the biggest reasons is that high sugar consumption is linked to obesity. Obesity, in turn, has been directly connected to several different forms of cancer along with a host of other serious medical conditions.

“Most foods that are consumed are broken down into glucose during the digestive process to serve as fuel for the body,” says Dr. Echt. “With that in mind, entirely cutting ‘sugar’ out of the diet just isn’t possible. Making healthy choices regarding foods and additives, however, very much is. Doing so may lower the risks for a variety of health conditions and may also have an indirect benefit in lowering cancer risks as they relate to obesity.”

About North Texas Cancer Center at Wise
North Texas Cancer Center at Wise, a division of Choice Cancer Care, is now operating as the Cancer Center at Wise Regional and is one of the most renowned cancer treatment centers in Texas. The center unites some of the best cancer doctors and surgeons, medical oncologists and radiation oncologists. Our expert team delivers superior cancer treatment in Texas, with the best results available.