Rochdale, England resident Dean Wharmby wanted the perfect body. The bodybuilder crammed 10,000 calories a day into his dietary regimen, daily chugged 7-8 energy drinks, and gorged on fatty foods. For a time, he even took steroids to bulk up and build his dreamed-of washboard abs.
On Sunday, Wharmby’s health habits finally caught up to him. He died of liver cancer at only 39 years of age. [1]
In 2010, doctors found a large tumor on the fitness fanatic’s liver. He took the natural route instead of undergoing chemotherapy and radiation, and completely changed his diet. He cut out red meat and sugar, and took a mixture of natural treatments and vitamins to combat the disease, but it was too late.
The father of one told MailOnline in March: “I can’t say it was the diet for sure, but things like the energy drinks could be contributing factors. Red meats — all things we have found out have so many impurities in them now.” For years, Wharmby’s diet consisted of energy drinks, burgers, pizza and bacon sandwiches.
Alcoholism is the most well-known cause of liver disease, but fatty foods can cause a condition known as non-alcoholic steotohepatitis, which can lead to liver failure and liver cancer.
Scientists believe a sugar molecule found in the flesh of beef, lamb, and pork may trigger an immune response in humans that causes inflammation, which ultimately results in tumor growth.
That single sugar molecule, called Neu5Gc, has been found in high levels in cancerous tissues, but it is not produced naturally in the body. It is, however, produced in most other mammals, leading researchers to believe that its presence in the human body comes from comes from our diet. [2]
Red meat has been found to contain the highest levels of Neu5Gc. Beef, bison, pork, and lamb contain the most sugar. Neu5Gc has not been found in fish, poultry, or fruits, and vegetables.
As for energy drinks, the sugary, caffeine-laden beverages have been linked to 184,000 deaths globally since 2010.
“I can say that unhealthy food and drink, especially sugary drinks consumption, is a significant factor in all the top causes of death in this province like cancer, heart disease and strokes,” said Dr. Ellis Cleary, Chief Medical Officer of Health for New Brunswick, Canada, in an interview with CBC News. [3]
Energy drinks are plenty dangerous because of their caffeine content alone. These products are so loaded with caffeine that consuming more than one beverage a day can trigger heart attacks in teenagers, but when it comes to cancer, sugar is more worrisome.
Read: 11 Awesome Ways to Promote Liver Health
The mainstream media is reticent to pin the blame on the sweet stuff, saying cancer cells don’t feed on sugar, nor does eating extra sugar while you have cancer worsen the condition. Sugar’s link to cancer is still up for debate in health and governmental circles, but there is concerning scientific evidence associating the two. [4]
For example, a 2010 study published in the journal Cancer Research shows that “cancer cells can readily metabolize fructose [corn syrup] to increase proliferation.” The study’s authors concluded that not only does sugar feed cancer, but the cells used fructose, in particular, for cell division, speeding up the growth and spread of the cancer. [2]
The truth is, sugar is completely unnecessary in a healthy person’s diet, and there are plenty of ways to incorporate protein into your diet without consuming red meat, pork or lamb. Stevia, a natural sugar substitute, may even prevent and reverse Type 2 diabetes.
[1] Fox News (Featured image courtesy of Facebook / Fox News)
[2] Discover
[3] CBC News
[4] Mayo Clinic
BBC