According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention diabetes now affects approximately 24 million Americans. In addition to the 24 million people with diabetes, another 57 million are estimated to have pre diabetes, a condition that puts people at increased risk for diabetes. In pre diabetes, a person’s blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to qualify for diabetes.
Diabetes stems from problems with the production of insulin, a hormone made in the pancreas. After we eat, the food’s glucose (sugar) moves into the blood and triggers the release of insulin. The insulin allows glucose to move into cells, where it’s used for energy or stored.
When the body no longer makes insulin it’s diagnosed as type 1 diabetes, and when it doesn’t make enough insulin or the body doesn’t use it normally, it’s type 2 diabetes. Either way, it can result in high blood sugar levels and cells that aren’t getting the energy they need. High blood sugar can also trigger the production of more insulin, leading to too much insulin in the blood.
Diabetes increases people’s risk for several conditions, including heart attacks. Now cancer may be another health risk to add. Studies suggest that people with diabetes and signs of diabetes may also be at increased risk for certain cancers. The connection between signs of insulin resistance and cancer is strongest among certain types of cancers, including colon and pancreatic. Although the association is not as strong, studies have also linked diabetes to prostate, endometrial, liver, and breast cancers.
A 2006 study found that men who had signs of the highest insulin levels were almost three times more likely to develop colon cancer than men with the lowest levels. Other studies found increased risk in people with type 2 diabetes and pre diabetes.
Many studies have shown a link between pancreatic cancer and diabetes. Yet because pancreatic cancer and diabetes both involve the pancreas, evidence remains unclear on whether diabetes causes or results from the cancer.
High amounts of insulin, type 2 diabetes and cancer all share a major risk factor: high body fat. Excess body fat can lead to the pancreas producing excess amounts of insulin. And studies have shown that insulin stimulates cell proliferation and tumor growth.
Also, high levels of insulin, independent of body fat, are linked to increased production of insulin like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). IGF-1 shares a similar structure to insulin and also plays a key role in promoting cancer cell growth. Laboratory studies are also investigating how insulin and IGF may affect chronic inflammation, which is associated with increased cancer risk.
In the same way that similar factors increase risks for both cancer and diabetes, there are similar ways people can lower their risk. Maintaining a healthy weight and physical activity can decrease the risk of cancer and diabetes. Americans could prevent approximately 100,500 cases of cancer annually if they maintained low body fat. A major study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, found that people at increased risk for type 2 diabetes can significantly prevent or delay the onset of the disease by losing 5 to 7 percent of their body weight through increased physical activity and diet.
References:
1. American Institute for Cancer Research.
