Looking for Info/Research on Two Topics:

Both these topics interest me. I'm not sure if it matters if yoga has an influence on bc survival - it certainly has an influence on quality of life and that's enough for me. Since bc diagnosis, anything that helps me appreciate these moments is of enhanced value. Yoga does that, for me. Exercise in general has been shown to decrease risk of breast cancer, and also to decrease risk of recurrence - the link is unclear but may be related to the next topic - control of sugar/insulin.

As for sugar - it's not as simple as glucose levels, and it's not just "processed" sugar. To your body and your pancreas, natural sugars in fruits are handled very much the same way as sugar from the sugar bowl. "Natural" juices are being implicated in the epidemic rise of type II (adult-onset) diabetes in young children.

So high sugar (glucose) levels in your blood could in theory feed tumors (PET scans, for instance, look for tumors with markers on glucose - tumors take up more glucose). But probably more-important is simple carbohydrate intake (which includes much more than just sweets) and what it does to stimulate insulin production. Overproduction of insulin, in response to overconsumption of simple carbohydrates, starts us down the path to insulin resistance and type II diabetes. Insulin is produced in massive amounts in response to carb gluttony, and circulates throuout our body, but our cells that need the insulin to metabolize the glucose become resistant to the insulin, so more is produced because the sugar levels stay high - a viscious cycle. In addition to its role in glucose metabolism, insulin is a growth hormone. Its influence on cancer growth is not known. But personally, I'd rather err on the side of caution and limit my carbohydrate binges, hence limiting insulin surges. Plus, as with yoga, I feel so much better when I eat low (not NO) carb - that alone is good motivation.

Debbie Laxague