Okay, let’s get real. You’ve probably heard it before: “Cancer loves sugar!” Or maybe someone hit you with, “If you stop eating sugar, you’ll reduce your cancer risk!” And now, every time you reach for a doughnut, a tiny voice in your head whispers, “Are you feeding the enemy?”

So what’s the truth? Is sugar a cancer magnet or is this just another internet myth designed to make us miserable?

First of All, Sugar is like that one friend who shows up at every party uninvited but somehow still gets along with everyone. It’s in your soda, your bread, your salad dressing, and yes—even that “healthy” granola bar you’re munching on.

There are different types of sugar:

• Glucose (our body’s fave energy source)
• Fructose (found in fruits)
• Sucrose (table sugar a.k.a. the sweet devil)
• Lactose (the sugar in milk, also the reason some of us have trust issues with dairy)

Your body loves glucose. Every cell—cancerous or not—needs it to function. So the idea that you can “starve” cancer by cutting out sugar is like saying you can stop a fire by taking away oxygen. Spoiler alert: Your body will just make glucose from other sources (like fats and proteins).

But let’s not act like sugar is totally innocent. The way we consume sugar today is a whole different ball game from how our ancestors did. Back in the day, sugar came from natural sources—fruits, honey, and whole grains. Now? It’s been pumped into nearly everything, from cereal to ketchup to “healthy” protein bars. We’re drowning in it, and that’s where the real problem begins.