Bowel cancer: one more great reason to “cut the carbs”

You’ve heard about carbohydrates and diabetes and obesity, but carbs and colon cancer? It’s not a link that usually comes to mind.

Even so, a study just out shows that high-carbohydrate diets can worsen prognosis after a diagnosis of bowel cancer. People with colon cancer who ate a high-carb diet after their diagnosis were more likely to have recurrence of the cancer.

It is thought that insulin, which is produced when the diet has a ‘’high-glycaemic load’’, as in a high-carb diet, causes the cancer to spread.

Reducing carbohydrate load in the diet has a number of health benefits in terms of weight loss or maintaining ideal weight, reducing sugar cravings and helping maintain a healthy lipid profile in the blood, thereby protecting the cardiovascular system. It may be that another benefit of keeping the carbs low has just been found.

There are a number of different approaches to keeping the carbs low in the diet, but the most healthful is to simply eat more vegetables – veggies for breakfast, lunch and dinner in conjunction with healthy protein sources. This may sound a little crazy when you’re used to your milk, cereal and toast, but with a little imagination and motivation, you are sure to reap the benefits.

For more help with finding the right eating plan for you – and practical ideas of how to manage it – get in touch for a naturopathic appointment.

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