Smee and anyone else who is interested:
My onc told me to go on a low GI diet, so I've been taking a look at that.
Found a few interesting bits on the web:
""Glycemic load" of diet tied to breast cancer risk
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The amount of carbohydrates a woman eats, as well as the overall "glycemic load" of her diet, impact her chances of developing breast cancer, Swedish researchers report.
The concept of glycemic load is based on the fact that different carbohydrates have different effects on blood sugar. White bread and potatoes, for example, have a high glycemic index, which means they tend to cause a rapid surge in blood sugar. Other carbs, such as high-fiber cereals or beans, create a more gradual change and are considered to have a low glycemic index.
Dr. Susanna C. Larsson of Karolinska Institute in Stockholm and colleagues analyzed data on 61,433 women who completed "food frequency" questionnaires in the late 1980s.
Over the course of about 17 years, 2952 women developed breast cancer and, according to the investigators, glycemic load "was significantly positively associated with risk of overall breast cancer." Women with higher glycemic load diets were more apt to develop breast cancer.
In addition, carbohydrate intake, glycemic index and glycemic load were all positively associated with risk of a certain type of breast tumor - namely, estrogen receptor (ER)-positive/progesterone receptor (PR)-negative breast cancer.
Women with the highest "glycemic index diet" had a 44% increased risk of developing ER+/PR- breast cancer compared to women with the lowest glycemic index diet.
Women in the highest category of "glycemic load" had an 81% increased risk of ER+/PR- tumors, and those with the highest carbohydrate intake had a 34% increased risk, compared to those in the lowest groups.
The investigators speculate that high-glycemic load diets may boost breast cancer risk by increasing concentrations of insulin and sex hormones in the body, which may contribute to the development and spread of breast cancer cells.
The findings support the benefits on breast health of a diet high in healthy "low glycemic index" foods.
SOURCE: International Journal of Cancer, July 2009."
cancer study link
Another one:
"Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load are important because research studies tell us that eating higher glycemic index foods, eating a higher glycemic load diet, and eating more simple sugar may increase risk of several types of cancer including cancers of the breast, colon & rectum, endometrium (uterus), lung, ovary, pancreas and upper aero-digestive tract (2-10).
In general, WHOLE plant foods, such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and especially legumes (beans) have a LOW glycemic load. If you base your choices around these foods, you will do well to keep your glycemic load low. In addition to this, there is plenty of research that tells us that plant foods, especially fruits and vegetables, can reduce risk of many types of cancer (11). Therefore, if you focus your diet around WHOLE plant foods, you will both eat a diet with a low glycemic load AND you will be including the cancer fighting nutrients found in plant foods.
this web link
There's a few tips there about eating whole foods, cutting down drastically on sugars and refined food, and eating good fats from nuts and olive oil plus other comments.
Also:
"The Link between High GI Foods and Cancer
Foods such as potatoes and white breads, which are high GI, have been linked to cancer in a new study carried out by Australian researchers. The study was carried out on nearly two million men and women and was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. High GI foods have been shown to cause constant spikes in the body?s blood glucose levels. This causes the body to release more insulin to stabilise blood sugar, as well as a related substance called insulin like growth factor one (IGF-1). Both insulin and IGF-1 increase cell growth rates and decrease cell death rates. This increases the risk of developing cancer.
The 20 percent of people that have the highest GI diets have an increased risk of breast cancer (8 percent higher), and an overall increased risk of cancer and other disease of 14 percent."
from this link
another discussion of a healthy low GI diet
Sorry for the long post and I'm not personally pushing this diet, but wanted to pass on what my onc has suggested I do, in case anyone else wants to follow it up.