Could we be witnessing the final nail in the coffin for high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS)? Despite the Corn Refiners Association's continued assurances that HFCS is perfectly safe, a new study out of the University of California in Los Angeles, published in the journal Cancer Research, has found that fructose triggers pancreatic cancer cells to proliferate and grow more quickly. Certainly, resulting headlines like "Cancer cells slurp up fructose" aren't helping the sugar's image.

This study just adds to the charges against fructose: obesity, diabetes, increased triglycerides in the blood, metabolic syndrome, fatty liver to name a few. But the most important finding of the study is that fructose is used differently by the cancer cells than sucrose.

It was previously believed, and asserted repeatedly by the HFCS industry, that sugar is sugar is sugar, meaning all sugars are treated the same way in the body. Not so. Pancreatic tumour cells fed both glucose and fructose in this study were found to use the two sugars differently. The researchers said this study may help to explain other studies that have linked fructose intake with pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest types of cancer.

The researchers found that fructose, compared to glucose, activated a key cellular pathway that causes cancer cells to divide and multiply. In other words, while the tumor cells thrive on glucose, they readily use the fructose to proliferate. And not only did cancer cells prefer it, fructose also triggered cellular processes that enabled tumor cells to more rapidly use both glucose and fructose.

Each week, holistic nutritionist Joy McCarthy tells us about a common health problem she's seen in her practice and how she came to a solution.

This Week's Client: Allison, a 28-year-old Public Relations Manager and self-confessed sugar addict.

The Problem: Allison suffers from occasional diarrhea, persistent constipation that lasts for weeks at a time, and severe bouts of abdominal pain and bloating. She was diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) three years ago and was prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs. She came to me for a more natural solution.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome is one of the most common bowel disorders and affects more women then men. There are many other conditions that mimic IBS -- an imbalance of bacterial microflora, laxative abuse, candida, gluten-intolerance, excessive consumption of caffeine, too many carbonated beverages and food allergies can all cause similar symptoms, so it's important to seek professional guidance to rule them out.

When it comes to working out, you already know that what you eat counts. But a growing body of research now shows that when you eat counts too, or, more specifically, whether or not you eat before you break a sweat. And if you want to burn the most amount of fat possible -- honestly, who doesn't? -- avoiding food before your fitness session is the way to go.

That's the conclusion reached recently by researchers in Europe, who studied cyclists and found that those who didn't eat before setting off burned significantly more calories than those who did eat. It makes sense, really -- when the body can't rely on recently-consumed carbohydrates to fuel the workout, it turns instead to fat reserves.

"When you exercise (after fasting), your adrenaline is high and your insulin is low. That ratio is favorable for your muscles to oxidize (break down) more fatty acids," Peter Hespel of the University of Leuven in Belgium told MSNBC. Hespel also goes on to suggest that exercising without eating can build muscle that more readily absorbs glucose, which he thinks can help prevent and treat obesity-related conditions like diabetes.

Next time you're wondering how those extra pounds keep creeping up on the scale, consider this: It might not be down to your lack of gym-time; rather it could be that you're not getting enough inactive time. We're talking about your sleep habits, and recent research shows that how much (or how little) you get every night can have a big impact on your waistline ... and health. In fact, even just one sleepless night can send your metabolism into chaos.

According to studies recently published by the Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands, sleeplessness can affect how your body produces and uses insulin, which can both hinder your metabolism and lead to serious conditions like diabetes.

They determined this by monitoring nine adults, after both a night of eight hours sleep and a night of just four hours. They found that restricting the amount of sleep participants were able to get led to a reduction in insulin sensitivity. Insulin, of course, is the hormone that helps your body metabolize glucose, so it goes without saying that it's a crucial aspect to helping your body run smoothly.

As word spreads that the alternative sweetener, agave syrup, may not be all it's cracked up to be, backlash is starting to come to the fore. An article posted by Dr. Joseph Mercola, a natural health doctor and purveyor of Mercola.com, on the Huffington Post website has drawn quite a bit of heat.

Some of the heat is deserved. One blog in particular brings up some serious flaws in the good doctor's arguments.

But the talk on both sides of the fence, whether it be about agave being cut with corn syrup, melted candies or using GMO bacteria in the processing, or the other side with people calling these rumours out for being unfounded, it's all dancing around what I see as the main issue: Agave sweeteners are largely made of fructose and fructose isn't good for you.

Fructose is a type of simple sugar that is found naturally in many fruits and vegetables. It is actually one of the components of table sugar along with glucose. In its natural form, found in natural foods, fructose isn't so much of a problem for most people. The problems arise when you refine fructose and take in large quantities.

While it may seen counter-intuitive to many, the idea that people can be both healthy and overweight - and sometimes even more healthy than people who are thinner - is gaining both traction and attention. Several years ago, a number of studies demonstrated that people who are slightly overweight but who exercise have less risk of developing cardiac disease than people of normal weight but who are sedentary. This led to a recommendation that overweight individuals spend more time focused on their blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels than on the numbers on some scale.

Well, that idea is now being revised. The New York Times' Well blog recently took on the issue, reported by Gretchen Reynolds, weighing the scientific evidence and giving voice to a number of experts. The details and final assessment?

Dr. Richard Beliveau and Dr. Denis Gingras are the authors of Eating Well, Living Well, translated by Valentina Baslyk along with their bestselling books Foods That Fight Cancer and Cooking With Foods That Fight Cancer.

Here they explain the easy steps we should all take to prevent this type of diabetes.

Given the serious consequences emanating from insulin resistance and Type-2 diabetes, preventing this disease is certainly our best weapon in reducing the damage caused by a surplus of blood sugar. Luckily for us, the preventive potential is extraordinary: Adopting a healthy lifestyle can prevent up to 90 percent of Type-2 diabetes cases! To see how we can reduce the risk of diabetes, let us review some lifestyle factors.

1. Controlling body weight: Given that excess weight and obesity are instrumental in the development of Type-2 diabetes, maintaining a normal body weight is an essential aspect of any preventive approach. The most spectacular illustration of how weight loss can influence the risk of diabetes is undoubtedly the effect of bariatric surgery (reducing stomach size) on morbidly obese people. Radically reducing the size of the stomach rapidly decreases obesity and almost completely eliminates Type-2 diabetes!

However, it is neither necessary nor desirable to undergo this type of surgery to reap the benefits of weight loss: Losing just 5 kg, even over several years, can reduce the risk of diabetes by 50 percent! At a time when overweight has become the norm rather than the exception, Type-2 diabetes undoubtedly illustrates the dangers of excess weight and the need to be as slim as possible in order to prevent this disease.

2. Controlling glycemia:

Dear Sarah,

I am trying to lose weight. I am often think that if I go to the gym on an empty stomach that I will burn more calories. Is this true?

Maria

Dear Maria,

Working out on empty stomach is like trying to start your car without gasoline. You have to have glucose in your system to not only start your engine, but to keep it burning.

Glucose is the primary source of fuel during exercise, and it is derived from eating carbohydrates. Fats (triglycerides) are your secondary source of fuel and are stored in your fat cells.

More after the jump.