SS:  So how is sugar affecting cancer risk?
CP:  The consequence of ingesting a lot of sugar quickly from any starch, high-glycemic-index fruit, or high-sugar liquid, including pomegranate juice or watermelon, is that your blood sugar levels will quickly rise to a point that is damaging to health in general, but most importantly, it is causing a spike in the hormone insulin.  First of all, this sugar is great fuel and stimulus for cancer cells waiting to be fed.  High blood sugar is taken in by precancerous cells, which can now multiply faster than they would if less sugar was available.  Second, the excess insulin produced by this high-sugar state acts as a stimulating factor that supports cell growth, cell division, and ultimately multiplication of these “bad” cells.

SS:  So what you are saying is that pomegranate juice or wine can be a double edged sword, and if you drink too much of them it may just increase the risk of cancer through their sugar or alcohol content?  How much should we have, then, in order to take advantage of its protective effect?
CP:  That is the tricky part.  It’s all about your whole diet, how much you have at any particular meal or snack.  The sugar from pomegranate juice is the same as the sugar from any other fruit, table sugar, corn syrup, et cetera.  They are all made of two types of molecules:  glucose and fructose.  This is in addition to the rest of the sugar you get from whatever starch you have in your diet (from bread, cereal, potatoes, et cetera).  It’s important to pay attention to how much carbohydrate you have at one time, because that determines how high your blood glucose is pushed after that meal.  It also matters whether and when you exercise.  If you start moving intensely after a high-carb meal, then you can burn them immediately after they are absorbed into your body, and it will not cause much trouble.  I say if you overindulge, go for a walk right afterwards or go dancing.
All this sugar adds up in your blood, and it does not matter where it is coming from; what matters is the amount of glucose in the bloodstream at any one time and what your long-term average is.  By the way, we can tell what your last three months’ average blood glucose is by looking at a blood test called glycated hemoglobin, or HbA1c.  Most doctors only test this in diabetics, but some doctors test this in everybody because it is an important marker that needs to be as low as possible in order to reduce the risk of cancer, diabetes, and age-related degenerative diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases.

SS:  What about the plastic bottles that the pomegranate juice comes in?
CP:  Yes, the plastic bottles are a concern, because they are known to release various chemicals considered hormonelike substances.  Also, be aware that most pomegranate juice brands have added sugar, other juices, or artificial flavors.

SS:  Reports come out every day on substances, environmental factors, and lifestyle choices that may significantly increase the odds of getting various types of cancers, but you cannot avoid them all.  What can we do to compensate for this?
CP:  Of course, the media are always capitalizing on the sensational aspect of these news stories.  People remember disparate facts and it is virtually impossible for anyone to understand how to sort out this information and what are the most important things to do systematically in their lives to really make a difference, without becoming crazy obsessive at the same time.  Let me try to set certain guidelines and a method to this madness.
To understand nutritional interventions for cancer, we have to follow a cancer cell from its accidental birth to its possible growth, multiplication, and spread in the body-to see how many roadblocks we can place in its path with nutrition.
A cancer cell is like a terrorist and thief of health in our bodies, and the immune system is the law enforcement that needs to be efficient at arresting it.  Like with any criminal, there are no guarantees that it will be caught, but our chances increase if we put up many roadblocks: if we prevent it from hiding and feeding, from reproducing and multiplying, and if we have a strong and large police force with good weapons that is vigilant twenty-four hours a day.  This police force is represented by our immune system cells, and I will review later how nutrition can affect it positively or negatively.

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