Hello there, and welcome to the Nutrition Diva podcast, a show where we take a closer look at

nutrition news and research and trends so that you can make more informed choices about what you

eat. I'm your host, Monica Reinagle. It is New Year's resolution season, and one of the most popular resolutions,

always, is to cut down on sugar. So I thought this might be a good time to revisit the science

on Jimenez-Sylvestor. This is an herbal supplement that claims to reduce sugar cravings. So could this be a useful tool

in your efforts to cut back on sugar? There are definitely some compelling reasons to moderate

our consumption of added sugars. And there is also some promising research on Jimnema as a useful tool in this regard.

But before we dig into all of that, let me take this opportunity to clear up a couple of

common myths about sugar. Some people believe, for example, that eating sugar fuels cancer growth

or weakens the immune system. Now, while it is true that cancer cells use

glucose to fuel their growth, so do all the cells in your body. And there is no credible evidence

that eating sugar directly speeds up cancer progression, or for that matter, that adopting

a sugar-free diet will slow cancer growth.

And similarly, there's no strong evidence that sugar impairs your immune response to infections

like colds or the flu. Another myth is that diets high in sugar increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Now, while that disease is characterized by an impaired ability to properly metabolize

dietary sugars, a diet high-end sugar does not necessarily lead to type 2 diabetes.

Factors such as excess body weight, sedentary lifestyles,

and genetics actually play a much more significant role. So for me, the primary reason to limit

added sugar is simply that foods that are high in sugar are often sources of excess and empty calories.

And these can crowd out more nutritious options and contribute to overweight.

Now, often when people decide that they want to cut down on sugar, they're often drawn to

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