Prediabetes Linked to Higher Risk of

Cancer, Study Finds

People with high blood sugar may be at increased risk for developing cancer, a new review
study finds.
The researchers looked at 16 studies that included nearly 900,000 participants from several
countries. They found that the risk of developing cancer is 15 percent higher in people with
prediabetes, a condition characterized by having abnormally high blood sugar levels but not
high enough to be classified as diabetes.
When the researchers adjusted the results for high body mass index (BMI), which is an indicator
of obesity and a risk factor for both prediabetes and cancer, they found that prediabetes was
linked with a 22 percent higher risk of cancer.
The researchers also found that prediabetes was linked with higher risks of cancer of the
stomach or colon, liver, pancreas, breast and endometrium, but was not associated with cancer
of the lung, prostate, ovary, kidney or bladder, according to the study, published today (Sept. 8)
in the journal Diabetologia. [10 Do's and Don'ts to Reduce Your Risk of Cancer]
In the United States, about 86 million people, or more than 1 in 3 people, have prediabetes, and
another 29 million people have Type 2 diabetes, according to a 2012 report from the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. If left untreated, about 15 percent to 30 percent of people with
prediabetes may develop full-blown diabetes within five years, according to the CDC.
The percentage of people who have prediabetes has been on the rise, too. In the United States,
36 percent of adults were found to have prediabetes from 20072010, up from 29 percent from
19992002. "Many other countries, both developed and developing, are also seeing steep rises
in the number of people with both full-blown Type 2 diabetes and prediabetes," the researchers
said.
Of the studies included in the review, four were from Asia, 11 were from the United States and
Europe, and one was from Africa.
The researchers found risks were highest for liver, endometrial, stomach and colon cancer
people with prediabetes were about twice as likely to develop liver cancer, 60 percent more
likely to develop endometrial cancer and 50 percent more likely to develop stomach or colon
cancer, than people without the condition. The condition was also linked with about 20 percent
higher risk for developing breast cancer, according to the study.
Several possible mechanisms could explain why high blood sugar is linked with cancer risk, the
researchers said. For example, people with high blood sugar have increased resistance to the
hormone insulin, which can result in higher secretion of insulin-like proteins that also promote
growth of cancer cells. It is also possible that people with some genetic variations are more
likely to develop both prediabetes and cancer, the researchers said.
For people with prediabetes, eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly can lower the risk of
progressing to diabetes, according to the CDC. For people who have diabetes, recommended
treatments include increasing activity and changing diet, and taking insulin and oral medications
to lower blood sugar levels.
Email Bahar Gholipour or follow her @alterwired. Follow Live
Science@livescience, Facebook & Google+. Originally published on Live Science.