No evidence that sugar directly causes cancer (2024)

There are many misconceptions about sugar consumption and cancer causes, as well as how the two relate to one another. One common myth found on social media is that sugar causes cancer.

"It’s been proven that sugar triggers and causes cancer," said Dr. Eric Berg in a 30-second video on Facebook. Berg, who describes himself as an expert on the keto diet and intermittent fasting, went on to say that sugar "in large amounts over a period of time" causes cancer.

"And the other thing that’s interesting about this is that cancer has an avid, greedy hunger for sugar. It will compete for normal cells for its glucose. So the best thing to do to prevent cancer is to avoid sugar," said Berg, who was a previously practicing chiropractor, but is no longer licensed.

This post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)

Additional research is needed to explore the relationship between sugar in a person’s diet and cancer, according to the Mayo Clinic. To date, studies have not found a direct link between sugar and cancer. However, there is some evidence that consuming large amounts of sugar can put a person at a higher risk of certain cancers.

Eating a lot of sugary foods, such as cookies, cakes and soda, can lead to weight gain and excess body fat. Being overweight or obese can increase a person’s risk for 11 different cancers, including colorectal, postmenopausal breast, ovarian and pancreatic cancer.

However, that doesn’t mean it’s necessary to completely avoid consuming sugar, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute said.

Featured Fact-check

Instagram posts

stated on June 24, 2024 in an Instagram post

"Hospitals murdered patients” with remdesivir, a drug banned from Ebola trials because of “53% kill rate.”

Simple sugar, known as glucose, is the body’s main source of energy. All cells, including cancer cells, use glucose as their fuel. Glucose can come from any food with carbohydrates, including healthy foods and foods with added sugars.

"The idea that sugar, or glucose, could fuel the growth of cancer cells can lead some people to unnecessarily avoid all carbohydrate-containing foods. This approach assumes that if cancer cells need glucose, then cutting it out of one’s diet will stop cancer from growing," the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute said.

But it’s not that simple. Since all cells need glucose to function and grow, there is no way for the body to only give glucose to healthy cells, rather than cancerous ones.

In fact, health experts warn that not consuming enough carbohydrates can lead to muscle loss and malnutrition. This can also make it more difficult for a person to undergo cancer treatment and recovery.

Our ruling

"It’s been proven that sugar triggers and causes cancer," a video on Facebook said. "So the best thing to do to prevent cancer is to avoid sugar."

Although consuming large amounts of sugar can put a person at higher risk of certain cancers, sugar itself is not carcinogenic. Avoiding sugar altogether will not stop cancer from growing and doing so could also lead to unhealthy weight loss.

We rate this claim Mostly False.

• 

  

  X posts

  stated on July 19, 2024 in a post:

  Bill Gates is responsible for July 19 global tech outage.

  

  

• 

  

  X posts

  stated on July 15, 2024 in an X post:

  An executive of the gay dating app Grindr said the Republican National Convention is "basically Grindr’s Super Bowl.'”

  

  

• 

  

  Facebook posts

  stated on July 14, 2024 in a Facebook post:

  A photo shows a Secret Service sniper at the July 13 Trump rally wearing a red string bracelet tied to Kabbalah Judaism.

  

  

• 

  

  Donald Trump Jr.

  stated on July 17, 2024 in Speech:

  After being shot at a Milwaukee rally in 1912, former President Teddy Roosevelt “finished his speech and he kept fighting.”

  

  

• 

  

  Kamala Harris

  stated on July 17, 2024 in a campaign video:

  "Unlike Mike Pence, (J.D.) Vance said he would have carried out Trump's plan to overturn the 2020 election."

  

  

• 

  

  Facebook posts

  stated on July 17, 2024 in a Facebook post:

  A photo shows proof of a bullet hole in Trump’s jacket.

  

  

• 

  

  Jon Stewart

  stated on July 16, 2024 in TV appearance:

  Milwaukee's Marcus Performing Arts Center – where 'The Daily Show' had been scheduled – “was originally located in the ‘soft perimeter,’ they called it, security-wise” but “was shifted, understandably so, to the ‘hard perimeter.’”

  

  

• 

  

  Kari Lake

  stated on July 16, 2024 in in a speech at RNC in Milwaukee:

  “Just last week, Ruben Gallego voted to let the millions of people who poured into our country illegally cast a ballot in this upcoming election.”

  

  

• 

  

  Threads posts

  stated on July 13, 2024 in a post:

  The Secret Service staged the July 13 shooting at Trump rally.

  

  

• 

  

  X posts

  stated on July 15, 2024 in a video:

  Video shows Donald Trump sleeping at the Republican National Convention’s first night.