By JONATHAN NEAL, HEALTH REPORTER and CASSIDY MORRISON
Published: 18:41 BST, 19 August 2026 | Updated: 23:42 BST, 19 August 2026
It's a startling claim about the 'surprising' cause of pancreatic cancer that has been ricocheting across social media in recent months.
Posts suggesting that high-sugar diets trigger changes in the body that lead to the feared disease have spread rapidly online – with some viewed more than 10 million times.
Interest has, no doubt, been fueled by alarming reports of rising pancreatic cancer rates in younger patients – and the fact the disease remains notoriously difficult to treat, with vanishingly few patients surviving long-term.
The eye-catching sugar theory has been repeatedly promoted by The Epoch Times, a controversial US media outlet that has faced accusations of peddling health misinformation.
But while the headlines may appear sensational, the science behind them is anything but.
Now, speaking to the Daily Mail, leading experts say there is mounting evidence for the theory – that sugar-laden diets so commonplace in modern America may trigger a chain of changes in the body that increases the risk of pancreatic cancer.
And, tantalizingly, this could eventually offer clues to how the disease might be detected earlier, while it is still treatable, or even prevented altogether.
So what is the truth – and how significant a role could the food we eat play in pancreatic cancer? We spoke to some of the world's leading experts to separate the myths from the facts.
Holly Shawyer from North Carolina was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer aged just 34, despite being a keen marathon runner. Her main symptom was a stomach ache
Normally, when we eat sugar, the body releases a hormone called insulin, which helps move sugar out of the bloodstream and into cells where it can be used for energy.
But regularly consuming large amounts of sugar can mean the body has to produce more and more insulin to do the same job. Over time, this can leave persistently high levels of the hormone circulating in the blood – a condition known as hyperinsulinemia.
And it is this excess insulin, rather than sugar itself, that scientists believe may trigger pancreatic cancer.
The original viral Epoch Times article was based on landmark research from the University of British Columbia which provided the first direct evidence of how this could happen.
