Have Diabetes? Beware of The Risk of THESE Two Cancers; How To Stay Safe

Be extremely careful about your health, as a new study says if you have diabetes, you are at high risk for two deadly cancers. New research, set to be presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Spain, suggests that those diagnosed with type 2 diabetes can develop certain obesity-related cancers like liver and pancreatic cancers.

The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Manchester and the National Institute for Health Research and Manchester Biomedical Research Centre, analysed health records from 95,000 people and found the link between type 2 diabetes and cancer.

Scientists say the chances of developing the cancers rose in men too, with new-onset type 2 diabetes linked to a 74 per cen rise in pancreatic cancer and a near quadrupling in the risk of liver cancer in the five years afterward. However, a smaller effect was seen for bowel cancer, with the risk of the disease 34 per cent higher in women and 27 per cent higher in men with new-onset type 2 diabetes compared with people without a recent diabetes diagnosis.

“Diabetes and obesity are associated with similar cancer types,” said Owen Tipping, a medical student who worked on the study with Andrew Renehan, professor of cancer studies and surgery at the University of Manchester. “Our research was detecting the effect of diabetes on cancer after adjusting for obesity.”

The Manchester group examined health records of people with the help of the UK Biobank with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes and compared them with more than 70,000 matched controls without diabetes.

There tends to be a surge in cancer diagnoses shortly after people are found to have diabetes, simply because patients have more medical tests. The researchers accounted for this spike in cancer due to better detection by ignoring cases reported within a year of a diabetes diagnosis.

Over a median follow-up period of five years, 2,431 new cancer cases were reported among individuals with type 2 diabetes, while the control group recorded 5,184 cases.

While experts say it is not entirely clear how diabetes may drive cancer and increase its risk, scientists suspect high levels of insulin, high blood glucose, and chronic inflammation can be the main reasons.

According to doctors, being overweight or obese also leads to at least 13 different types of cancer, as inflammation kills healthy cells.

A few ways you can keep away from both diabetes and the risk of cancer include:

Doctors say obesity and being overweight are key risk factors for both type 2 diabetes and obesity-related cancers. Eat a healthy, fresh, and balanced diet and do regular exercise to manage weight effectively.

It is important to keep blood glucose under control, which helps reduce inflammation and insulin resistance, linked to cancer risk.

Always prioritize fibre-rich foods, lean proteins, and healthy fats in your diet, and limit junk, processed, and sugary drinks to reduce cancer risk.

Make sure to aim for at least 30-45 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every day which helps improve insulin sensitivity and lowers cancer risk.

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