PET scans work on the premise that a radioisotope marker is attached to the glucose molecules (via exposure of a bag of glucose in a cyclotron an hour or so prior to infusion).

It is then infused into the body by IV where subsequently the uptake of sugars are accelerated and concentrated by tumor activity (or sometimes erroneously by healing activity).

The scanner itself detects the concentration of the radioisotope (harmless by the way, with a very short half life) and converts this data into a film or digital image.

Introduction of excess sugar to the body prior to a PET scan may result in an erroneous reading by diluting the "marked" glucose molecules.

This could result in a concentration being below the threshold of detection resulting in a possible false negative result.

Gary, Thanks for the info. I apparently mistakenly though it was the other way around, excess sugar resulting in false positive.

Learn something new every day.
Bob

I think your observation is still valid Bob, sugar is taken up more readily by the cancer cells than the normal tissues.

At the risk of another roundy-round, the subject of sugar is rather simple to me: There is no reason I can find to purposely maintain a higher than normal blood sugar level. Refined sugar was nearly absent from our early ancestors and they did just fine. Current day cultures that eat similar simple diets exhibit lower rates of several types of cancers. If there is even a small chance that elevated blood sugar levels help cancer to survive or thrive then why eat more sugar?

With regard to Vegetarian diets, most competant nutritionists would tell you that vegetarian diets are generally more healthy. Where I differ is I see a significant need for very high protein intake because of the massive tissue repair going on during radiation treatments. Vegetarian diets are usually not high protein. In addition, many essential fats are also important.

Colored fruits and plant materials are also a rich supply of many many nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Certainly boosting the supply of every kind of nutrient would be beneficial during the treatment procedures we go through. Plant fiber is one of the best ways to deal with constipation. I won't go on and on.

I was easily able to eliminate most "added" sugar from my diet and suffered no ill effects from doing so.

Lastly, Eric My experience with hospital nutritionists is similar to what you have described. Mostly they are concerned with calories and hydration. They didn't seem to care at all about how you get the calories or much else. My grand "conspiricy" theory is that there are few "official" studies about nutritional adjuncts and cancer because there is no money to be made by doing the studies.

Well said, Mark... makes a lot of sense to me... My wife and I have had this sugar debate a lot, and your explanation makes sense -- we don't really need all that refined sugar anyway, and I was getting tons by drinking 3-6 Cokes a day (or more) before my diagnosis... I'm a water and juice man now (homemade veggie and fruit juices not storebought ones with lots of added sugar)

I haven't gone total veggie, for reasons you mentioned above (plus I do want to keep calories up), but we are definitely spending a lot of time in the produce aisle. We spent more than an hour shopping for fruits and veggies tonight, and I was actually excited about eating all of the fresh things we bought... it just feels good to eat well...

I read somewhere that 1 can of coke has 28 teaspoons of sugar. I basically agree with Mark in his feelings towards refined sugars and such. My dietary patterns pretty much mirror his. My meat consumption is about 80% less then it once was. I actually feel pretty darned good these days (considering how beat up I was) with the new diet. My wife has an interesting way of putting it - fruits, nuts, grains and vegetables are all living things, not "dead" like meat (for instance).

My diet, too, has changed considerably. I probably don't eat red meat once a month, but fish and seafood are another matter. Particularly fish I catch in unpolluted waters and eat within a couple of hours. Picked up a copy of the official State fishing regs this week and was amazed at how few unpolluted waters remain. But that's another story. My sugar consumption is way down too, and I sure am glad that chocolate is a vegetable (grin). I cook many kinds of beans, and generally have a pot of homemade, multi-vegetable soup in the fridge. I miss what I used to eat and drink and once in a while in my younger days smoke, but that was then, and this is now. Have some large and beautiful sweet peppers nearly ready to harvest. My grandparents lived very long and healthy lives, eating meat and gravy and potatoes and dessert every single night, but they worked hard physically and there were a whole lot fewer chemicals in the food, water, and air back then. So we adapt. Last week I had a small chocolate milkshake and felt guilty for a couple of days, then I decided that if one milkshake is going to do me in, so be it. Some things can be taken too seriously, too far. Now goodnight.

The current hot subject (although not related to cancer) is the impact High Fructose Corn Syrup is having. I believe the heavily sweetened soda's should be avoided altogether. A search on the internet yields many interesting reports and ongoing research. This one by the San Francisco Chronical covers the subject nicely. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2004/02/18/FDGS24VKMH1.DTL

Joanna, I too will confess a chocolate weakness (was not helped by going to Belgium and getting a taste of real fine chocolate) You'll be happy to know the average size milk chocolate bar has less than 1/2 the sugar as a can of soda pop!

Must have been on a sugar high to get a double post.....

Thanks, Mark. I believe dark chocolate, my vegetable of choice, which is supposed to have some health benefit, has even less sugar. Having foresaken the red wine which is also touted as being healthful, I feel it is in my best interest to have a reasonable amount of dark chocolate (grin). Interesting article.

Mark,

I agree with your assessment of refined sugars. There is nothing good to come from them. Childhood diabetes has run rampant in our culture of sweets and pop. I used to believe the unrefined sugars (i.e. brown sugar, turbinado, honey, etc.) were not as bad but in the case of diabetes, the only sugar that is acceptable is fruit.

For protein, tofu is one vegetable that has a considerable amount. Soy protein is not the best for people with liver issues, though. Tofu comes in many forms and can be substituted for yogurt in smoothies even.

Ed