Guest Author - Lisa Shea

Cancer cells, as we know, grow much faster than other normal, healthy cells. Where do they get all that energy? They suck it from the sugar you consume.

Some studies find that the cancer cells siphon off energy from healthy ones, which is why people who are fighting cancer get so tired.

A study done in 2004 involved a million people. It found that people with high blood sugar levels tended to have a much higher rate of cancer. In fact, the difference was almost 30% in men, and 23% in women. That's a huge difference just based on sugar!

On the other hand, a study reported in 2005 in the Clinical Cancer Research found that a specific complex sugar - heparin - blocked the hormones that tumors use to grow. This doesn't cause the tumor to shrink, because it's only the growth that is blocked. Still, it helps the tumor to at least stay the same size.

Heparin is an anti-coagulant, so it's not something you can just "take". It requires a doctor's prescription.

Like much in life, it is a case of moderation and balance. We know that eating a ton of sugar is bad for us in many ways. It rots our teeth. It causes us to get heavy, which leads to many health problems. It would be common sense to avoid sugar in your diet for many reasons, including this one.

Be sure to talk with your doctor before working on any changes in your diet.