Sweets and cancer

In 1949, when Candy Land supplanted Uncle Wiggily as Milton Bradley’s top-selling board game, the ol’ U.S. of A. was on track to becoming the largest consumer of candy in the world.

These days, Americans spend billions of dollars annually on candy, consuming 22 pounds per person.

And overall, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that in 2015, each American consumed more than 75 pounds of refined sugar, high-fructose corn syrup and/or other sweeteners.

That’s not fun and games, folks! Seventy-five pounds of added sugar and sugar syrup is known to cause obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney and joint woes, dementia, a lousy sex life and more. And now a new study out of the University of Texas, Dallas, has found that certain kinds of cancers are sugar-crazed, too. Squamous cell cancers of the lungs, head and neck, esophagus and cervix thrive on consuming glucose, say the researchers. (The U.S. ranks No. 6 in the world in cancer cases, with 318 per 100,000 people; the world average is 182.) Although more studies are needed to show how consuming blood-sugar-boosting added sugars, sugar syrups and simple carbs invites cancer to take hold, or if avoiding added sugars and syrups will slow cancer progression, we say: “Why wait? Ditch them now!”

And if you’re craving a sweet treat: Try eating 1 ounce of 70 per cent cacao dark chocolate per day.

It’s loaded with anti-inflammatory flavonoids, has a good dose of magnesium and copper, is good for your circulation and raises your level of healthy HDL cholesterol.

Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” and Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic. To live your healthiest, tune into “The Dr. Oz Show” or visit www.sharecare.com.