[reescj1]

Sugar and M-spike

by reescj1 on Sun May 17, 2015 10:21 am

Hi All,

I am new to the Myeloma Beacon but wanted to share with you all a revelation (or maybe not). I was diagnosed 6 years ago and have done one auto stem cell transplant (SCT) and been on all the usual drugs. Currently on VRD (Velcade, Revlimid, and dexamethasone) and have been for about 18 months. After a recent rise in my paraprotein, I decided, after reading so many times that cancer cells like sugar, to drop sugar from my diet altogether.

I had March and April entirely free of refined sugar. So my only sugar intake was from fruit, dried fruit, and obviously the occasional thing you can't avoid (like sugar in bread). After suffering for a couple of weeks from withdrawal, I started to feel better.

After 2 months of this, to my total amazement, my paraprotein dropped by a significant amount – 9.5 g/l (0.95 g/dL) to 6.8 g/l (0.68 g/dL). Except for when I took Velcade for the first time, this was the largest ever drop in my PP. If I am honest, I was also very careful with my diet generally during this time. Lots of fresh organic food and a nutribullet every day for breakfast.

I strongly recommend your try it as it's free and there are no side effects, other than you crawling up the walls for the first few weeks whenever someone eats a delicious cake in front of you.

I am sticking to this diet from now on. Obviously!!

Chris

[FingersCrossed]

Re: Sugar and M-spike

by FingersCrossed on Sun May 17, 2015 11:13 am

I started working with a nutritionist after I got my smoldering diagnosis. The first thing she told me to do was to cut out refined and added sugar. "Cancer loves sugar" was what she told me. She recommended that I limit my sugar to that which is naturally-occurring (e.g., in fruit and yogurt).

By the way, you can avoid sugar in bread if you are willing to try a different bread. Food for Life makes bread that is sugar free (or very low in sugar is some of their other options). We have been using their Ezekiel sprouted whole grain bread (the plain and the sesame) for well over 10 years now: 0 g of sugar. Their cinnamon raisin bread has a little bit of sugar, obviously from the raisins. The 7 sprouted grain bread has only 1 g per slice.

[Ladyaero]

Re: Sugar and M-spike

by Ladyaero on Mon May 18, 2015 3:37 pm

While I applaud any and all efforts to improve health and maintain a healthy diet, I would caution against focusing on any one food group as the smoking gun or only culprit (here it is sugar, but I have seen similar comments on all carbs, or meat, or soda, etc).

My husband did not eat anything with sugar, sucrose, dextrose, etc on the ingredients list (he would occasionally have honey, but not much) for over 25 years, and he still got myeloma at the age of 54. The information regarding cancer and sugar is also sometimes misinterpreted – see, for example, this article at the Mayo Clinic website).

Again, please don't take this as criticism of a low sugar diet or any step that helps you live a healthier life. Just trying to make sure info is out there for those who wish to learn more.

[Dr. James Hoffman]

Re: Sugar and M-spike

by Dr. James Hoffman on Tue May 19, 2015 9:34 am

I would echo the sentiments in the previous responses. Diet plays an important role in health, and therefore in cancer treatment. It is true that obesity is a poor risk feature for cancer patients, and weight loss, exercise, and good nutrition is therefore recommended. The concept of 'starving' the cancer by not eating sugar can be given too much attention, in my opinion. Even with limited sugar intake, the body will maintain a blood glucose level needed to sustain normal body functions. There are therefore molecules of sugar in the bloodstream that the cancer cells have access to.

I am not saying definitively that low sugar diets have no role. I just think this is far from certain, and many patients develop a guilty complex about treating themselves to occasional sweets. I think this can be counterproductive in an already stressful place in life.

[FingersCrossed]

Re: Sugar and M-spike

by FingersCrossed on Wed May 20, 2015 9:15 am

Thanks for your response, Dr. Hoffman.

I do agree that moderation is key and, as you point out, the science on the sugar / cancer link is not concrete. However, sugar has found its way into so many foods that people are eating that I do think it's helpful for people to be mindful of just how much sugar they are taking in each day; es­pecially since the foods to which it has been added could be taking the place of more nutrient-dense foods that could benefit us, especially post-diagnosis.

To be clear, I am making a distinction between the sugar that occurs naturally in food and the sugar + high fructose corn syrup that is added to processed foods.

I know that, for me, sweets were not "occasional". It was a daily occurrence and in large portions. It was delicious and yummy for my tummy, but was doing me no good. My nutritionist's rec­om­mendation to me (while maybe based on inconclusive research that has become a mantra) was enough of a wake-up call for me to back off the cakes, pies, and cookies, and I certainly feel that I am better off for it. Somehow, I managed to avoid becoming overweight, but I've always been right at the upper end of the normal BMI range for me. I'm now in the low-to-middle area of my healthy weight range, and my BP has come down as a result of shedding that weight.