According to Dr. Christiane Northrup in her book The Wisdom of Menopause, “breast cancer is definitely associated with a substance known as insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1). This substance affects the growth of breast cells in utero, during puberty, and during adult life. Abnormal IGF-1 activity is caused by insulin levels that are too high — a direct result of a diet too high in refined carbohydrates. High insulin levels trigger a metabolic cascade that results in cellular inflammation. And inflammation is a precursor for cancer.”

And she’s a doctor.

Refined carbohydrates are those that have been processed to death, stripping the bran and germ from the whole grain, rendering them useless as nutrition. So the ‘bad carbs’ you hear about — added sugar, refined white grains like white rice, many varieties of pasta, and gummy white bread — have no purpose as food. Even if you’re running a race and need quick energy, you’ll still be better off with whole foods that contain natural sugar.

But how much? The average adult eats or drinks about 20 teaspoons of added sugar every day, according to the USDA. They recommend we get no more than about nine teaspoons a day, which still seems like a lot.

For me, I’ll happily jettison my sugar to avoid that “metabolic cascade.”

How about you? Is it worth it to give up added sugar and bad carbs to potentially avoid cancer?