GUT INSTINCT

New research has once again highlighted the importance of maintaining a healthy gut, with research showing an unhealthy, inflamed gut causes breast cancer to become much more invasive and to spread more quickly to other parts of the body. Most breast cancers – 65 per cent or more – are hormone receptor positive. That means their growth is fuelled by a hormone, either oestrogen or progesterone. Metastasis is when the cancer spreads beyond the breast to other parts of the body – and early metastasis is affected by a variety of factors. The new research published in the Cancer Research journal has found that having an unhealthy gut prior to breast cancer increased breast cancer metastasis.

NOT SO SWEET

There’s more bad news for soft drinks and juices, with a study published by The British Medical Journal reporting a possible connection between higher consumption of sugary drinks and an increased risk of cancer. Assessing the associations between the consumption of sugary drinks (beverages sweetened with sugar, and 100 per cent fruit juices), and cancer risk, the researchers’ results showed that a 100ml per day increase in the consumption of sugary drinks was associated with an 18 per cent increased risk of overall cancer. The researchers offered possible explanations for these results, including the effect of the sugar on visceral fat (fat stored around the vital organs), blood sugar levels, and inflammatory markers – all of which are linked to increased cancer risk. Other chemical compounds, such as additives in some sodas, might also play a role.