What if a sudden desire for cheese, ice cream or dried meat actually hid … cancer? The rather disturbing link seems to be exposed on networks, as a possibility. In an Instagram video viewed almost two million times, an influencer claims that doctors say that “Two to three months before a diagnosis, some patients develop an obsessive desire for a particular food “ Far from a simple whim, this signal could translate an imbalance caused by the tumor itself. An idea that did not fail to worry many Internet users.
When the body claims … for the tumor?
The site thus announces that an oncologist (without quoting it) reports a striking observation: in some patients with gastrointestinal cancer, the irrepressible envy of sugar appears a few months before the diagnosis. An explanation is advanced: cancer cells consume glucose at a much higher speed than healthy cells. The brain, influenced by this accelerated metabolism, could then encourage consuming more sweet foods. But without certainty …
However, clinical testimonies abound: a patient later affected by kidney cancer was drinking from the salumure of pickles directly to the jar, while a child diagnosed later had suddenly started to consume excess dairy products. Already in the 1980s, Dr. Thurstan Brewin, of the Glasgow Oncology Institute, noted that almost a quarter of his patients reported unexplained desires or aversions before their diagnosis.
Limited research
Scientific literature remains cautious. An Italian review published in 2022 in theInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health analyzed seven studies connecting cravings and cancer. Researchers have noted associations between certain eating behaviors and breast, ovary, endometrium or lymphomas. The desires concerned in particular fast foods, starchy foods and fats, with excess. (In people who did not have this habit)
“We recommend screening for eating behavior in patients, in order to quickly detect any alteration”, then underlined the authors. But they reminded immediately “the significant lack of knowledge“And the need for more in -depth studies.
Aversions, shortcomings and false signals
The desires are not alone in question. Some patients also report brutal food aversions: a sudden “unpleasant” taste for tea or cheese, or an impression of disgust by eating meat. These phenomena often disappear after the treatment of the tumor, suggesting a direct link with cancer.
But beware of hasty conclusions. Dr. Amar Kelkar, from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, recalls that unusual cravings can also report a deficiency, for example in iron. “The desire to eat ice or even earth can be a reaction from the body to anemia”he explains. In this case, blood tests make it possible to identify the origin of the problem, which can sometimes be linked to cancer, but also to many other causes.
Intuition is not scientific proof
If the subject fascinates and intrigues, specialists remain unanimous: today there is no solid evidence establishing a direct link between food desires and early diagnosis of cancer. The idea that sugar, in particular, “nourished” cancer is also considered simplistic and scientifically unfounded.
Food desires could therefore constitute an interesting research track, but certainly not a reliable screening tool at this stage. And a sudden desire for sugar is not enough to fear cancer.