Your workplace break room may be a breeding ground for cancer. For most people, to be diagnosed with cancer is to receive a death sentence. Thankfully, many cancers are having higher survival rates than ever before. Unfortunately, pancreatic cancer is not one of them. With this being the case, it has been crucial that risk factors for the disease be identified. High blood sugars and excess levels of insulin are two modifiable risk factors and were recently studied regarding their relation to pancreatic cancer. The study found that frequent consumption of added sugar (to items like tea, coffee, cereal, etc.), soft drinks, and high sugar foods increased the risk of pancreatic cancer. The problem stems from the fact that excess glucose and excess insulin have toxic effects on the pancreas. Everyone needs a “coffee break” but you’ll be doing yourself a favor by indulging in healthy break-room alternatives to sugar-enriched foods.
Larsson SC, Bergkvist L, Wolk A. Consumption of sugar and sugar-sweetened foods and the risk of pancreatic cancer in a prospective study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Nov;84(5):1171-6. PubMed PMID: 17093171. – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17093171
