Cancer. Something that scares so many people and is almost everywhere these days. Thankfully we are making such remarkable advances in the world of research and treatment of cancer, it is becoming much less scary each year.

This is certainly the thought of many people on the front lines of the battle against cancer. I just watched a presentation titled “Why We All Don’t Get Cancer” by Craig Thompson, President and CEO of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and thought it was very informative, educational and uplifting. Although some of it may go over people’s heads not familiar with biology, most of it was very accessible to the general public.

About 30 minutes in length, this presentation is worth the time if you’re interested in how cells start to become cancerous and grow. The general premise is that although cancer is a very complicated and intricate process, it can be simplified to a very manageable level. When a cell goes “bad” for whatever reason (which we are still trying to figure out the details of why this happens), these mutated cells in our body typically consume themselves and die off, simply by not having access to nutrients to grow and proliferate. When we have an abundance of nutrients available, cancerous cells are much more likely to replicate and grow. Since modern life is full of abundant nutrients, energy in particular, one of the first things to address is the issue of excess energy. Can we point to particular nutrients that contribute to cell and cancer proliferation? The answer is yes…

We know that most cancers thrive on glucose so it has led us to this point: overeating carbohydrates greatly contributes to the risk of getting cancer, overeating fat does not, and overeating protein is somewhere between the two. It matters where your calories come from.

The bottom line: overeating carbohydrates increases your risk of developing cancer. For a prominent cancer center to declare this is huge. Take notice of this as it is a big step in the right direction. More mainstream acceptance of the crazy idea that what eat determines a lot of our health destiny.

Thanks for reading, have a great carbohydrate non overeating day!

P.S. Skip to 24:20 to get right to the point. What does all the advances in cancer mean for you?