Insulin's role in Cancer* (The same insulin that is raised by high-carb foods)

Sharing ... *Insulin's role in Cancer* (The same insulin that is raised by high-carb foods)

The cancer-provoking potential of insulin was noted as early as 1964. In lab cultures, normal breast cells incubated with insulin proliferated with such enthusiasm that they resembled cancers. Growing breast cancer cells in the laboratory also requires insulin. Lots of insulin. This is an interesting observation because normal breast cells don't really need insulin. Yet breast cancer cells can't live without it. If you remove the insulin from breast cancer cell culture, the cells quickly shrivel up and die. This holds true for other cancers like colorectal, pancreatic, lung, and kidney, too. In mice, injecting insulin induces the growth of breast and colon cancer.

This was a puzzling anomaly. The main tissues normally involved with glucose metabolism, the liver, fat cells, and skeletal muscles, naturally have the highest numbers of insulin receptors. Normal breast tissue? Not so much. So, why does breast cancer thrive on insulin? Breast cancer cells express six times the levels of insulin receptors compared to normal breast cells.

High insulin levels can be measured with a blood test called the C-peptide, which is a protein fragment left over from the body's manufacturing of insulin. High C-peptide levels are associated with an astounding 270 percent to 292 percent increased risk of subsequent colorectal cancer. The women in the Nurses' Health Study with the highest levels of C-peptide had a 76 percent higher risk of colon cancer.

But excess insulin isn't an issue just for those with excess weight. Insulin levels form a spectrum. While those with obesity and diabetes have the highest insulin levels, healthy-weight non-diabetics may also have high insulin levels. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database from 1999 to 2010 suggest that high insulin levels more than double the risk of cancer regardless of weight status. Non-obese, non-diabetic participants with high insulin levels had a 250 percent increased risk of cancer deaths. *Hyperinsulinemia* in normal weight women (BMI < 25 kg/m2) doubles the risk of breast cancer.

*Injecting* exogenous insulin, a drug more and more commonly prescribed for type 2 diabetes, also increases cancer risk. In the United Kingdom, the number of people with type 2 diabetes who are treated with insulin had grown dramatically from an estimated 37,000 in 1991 to 277,000 in 2010. Weight gain is the major side effect, causing an estimated two kilograms' weight gain for every 1 percent reduction in HgbA1C, a blood test that reflects the average blood glucose over three months. This sounds ominous, as weight gain is a known risk factor for cancer. As researchers dug deeper, the news was not good. In the United Kingdom's General Practice Research Database 2000–2010, insulin treatment increased the risk of cancer by 44 percent compared to metformin, a treatment for type 2 diabetes that did not raise insulin levels. Forty-four percent! This was staggering. But this study was not the only one that found insulin treatment to be dangerous.

Data from the province of Saskatchewan, Canada, confirmed that newly diagnosed diabetics starting treatment with insulin had a 90 percent higher risk of cancer compared to those taking the drug metformin. The sulfonylurea drugs, which stimulate insulin secretion, were also linked to a 36 percent increased risk of cancer. More insulin equals more cancer. It's a pretty simple concept. The longer one injects insulin, the higher the risk of cancer.

We know that high insulin levels increase the risk of cancer. But why is insulin so important for cancer progression? Insulin is a hormone best known for its role in glucose metabolism. When we eat, insulin levels rise. When we don't, insulin levels decrease. Insulin is an important nutrient sensor, signaling the presence of food, but what does that have to do with cancer?

In a word: everything. The nutrient sensor insulin is also a highly potent growth factor.

If keen, physical books, ebooks and audio books of The Cancer Code by Dr Jason Fung are available at the NLB

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Re: The most *impactful* start is by cutting out/down the foods that spike insulin——carbs

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> On 24 Apr 2025, at 9:53 AM, Chang Cheng Liang <changchengliang@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> 
> Insulin resistance (attached) ... has identified as the *root* or significant factor in a number of chronic condition. If you are on meds to treat any of these, is your treatment getting to the root cause or are they merely suppressing the symptoms? Resolving insulin resistance is _easy_ if you are consistent and patient. The most *impactful* start is by cutting out/down the foods that spike insulin. _Coincidentally_(😉) carbs are the only macro-nutrient that has the biggest impact (on glucose and consequently) insulin and happens to be the only macro-nutrient that is nutritionally not needed for life. Isn't that interesting?
>
> <PHOTO-2025-04-24-09-50-27.jpg>
>
> Sent from my iPhone

Re: The most *impactful* start is by cutting out/down the foods that spike insulin——carbs

Sent from my iPhone

> On 24 Apr 2025, at 9:53 AM, Chang Cheng Liang <changchengliang@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> 
> Insulin resistance (attached) ... has identified as the *root* or significant factor in a number of chronic condition. If you are on meds to treat any of these, is your treatment getting to the root cause or are they merely suppressing the symptoms? Resolving insulin resistance is _easy_ if you are consistent and patient. The most *impactful* start is by cutting out/down the foods that spike insulin. _Coincidentally_(😉) carbs are the only macro-nutrient that has the biggest impact (on glucose and consequently) insulin and happens to be the only macro-nutrient that is nutritionally not needed for life. Isn't that interesting?
>
> <PHOTO-2025-04-24-09-50-27.jpg>
>
> Sent from my iPhone

The ULTIMATE Guide to Glucose, INSULIN RESISTANCE & Metabolic Health Compilation | Dr. Robert Lustig

1 hour plus …

The ULTIMATE Guide to Glucose, INSULIN RESISTANCE & Metabolic Health Compilation | Dr. Robert Lustig youtu.be

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The most *impactful* start is by cutting out/down the foods that spike insulin——carbs

Insulin resistance (attached) ... has identified as the *root* or significant factor in a number of chronic condition. If you are on meds to treat any of these, is your treatment getting to the root cause or are they merely suppressing the symptoms? Resolving insulin resistance is _easy_ if you are consistent and patient. The most *impactful* start is by cutting out/down the foods that spike insulin. _Coincidentally_(😉) carbs are the only macro-nutrient that has the biggest impact (on glucose and consequently) insulin and happens to be the only macro-nutrient that is nutritionally not needed for life. Isn't that interesting?

This, attached, may be the "straw that breaks the camel's back" … Study shows carbs lead to death via heart failure and other illness

From a concerned friend, Jim:

This, attached, may be the "straw that breaks the camel's back" ... for some. In brief, a 22-year study found that the result of blood glucose levels of men and women, healthy at the start, who were given 50g carb (typically at each follow-up session) showed a significant increased in death from heart disease, stroke, atherosclerosis, and death for any reason. For anyone concerned with health and longevity, does it make you wonder what eating 3/4 plate carbs with every meal is doing to your body? Remember, that no carb is needed for health and 1 cup of cooked white rice contains about 45 grams of carbs. Source: https://www.jclinepi.com/article/S0895-4356(97)00201-1/abstract

a woman's experience eating carnivore for a year,

Not for everyone but if you are keen to know a woman's experience eating carnivore for a year, have a watch: https://youtu.be/vamPOzbDyxY

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