On iron and sugar: It's complicates

[Guest guest]

Friends

First iron.

As Dr Hamblin said, all anemia is not from low iron, and that is

especially true in CLL. Second, iron tests are best interpreted in

context of each other and have much less value as individual results.

Third, other chronic inflammatory conditions and renal diseases can

mimic low iron anemia. Fourth, CLL itself can mess up the results

when doing iron studies. Finally. too much iron can become a big

problem for some with CLL (usually from transfusions, not supplements,

but why aid and abet the process) forcing the patient and doctor to

make difficult decisions.

Now sugar.

Here is my take, adding to what Dr. Furman said. You can not starve

the cancer by eating foods with a low glycemic load. I would certainly

be cured by now with few years of a raw vegan diet, meticulously

avoiding anything as sweet as beets or carrots, let alone, fruit. I am

easier on myself now. Still vegan and mostly raw. I wish it was that

simple.

The issue as I see it is that high loads of easily absorbed glucose

triggers a host of responses, the most well known being insulin.

Insulin is a growth hormone and I don't want to being turning on any

growth factors when I already have a problem with an out of control

growing clone. We also know that insulin has many complex effects on

our immune responses, many suppressive. We know that diabetics tend

to have more cancer and poorer survival rates. We really don't know why.

This explanation I am certain is not the full or detailed story, but I

expect there is a kernel of truth in the notion that too much sugar

sets up a cascade of metabolic responses that favor cancer growth.

So either way, it is best to avoid sugary foods for many reasons, but

the occasional treat is not going to get you out of remission.