Diabetes is a chronic disease that can cause serious complications, one of which is cancer. So, what types of cancer are people with diabetes prone to? Check out the full explanation below.
The Relationship Between Diabetes and Cancer
Cancer is a disease in which some body cells grow uncontrollably and spread to other parts of the body.
A study involving around 400 thousand participants with diabetes revealed that men with diabetes have a 34 percent higher risk of developing cancer, while women with diabetes have a 62 percent higher risk.
It is known that people with type 2 diabetes mellitus have a risk of developing:
- Leukemia.
- Skin cancer.
- Thyroid cancer.
- Lymphoma.
- Kidney cancer.
- Heart cancer.
- Pancreatic cancer.
- Lung cancer.
- stomach cancer
- Cervical cancer.
- stomach cancer
One of the reasons diabetes can increase the risk of cancer is the relationship between cancer cells and sugar. Cancer cells love sugar, so the amount of sugar in the blood that increases will provide a lot of fuel for cancer cells. This will make the growth of cancer cells faster.
Diabetes is a chronic health condition that affects the body’s response to turning food into energy.
The body will turn most of the food into sugar (glucose) and release it into the blood circulation. When blood sugar rises, the pancreas will receive a signal to release insulin and sugar will be distributed throughout the cells to be converted into energy.
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In people with diabetes, the body does not make enough insulin or cannot use insulin as well as it should. As a result, sugar will accumulate in the blood circulation.
Therefore, cancer cells can develop more quickly in diabetics.
In addition, oxidative stress also has a role in the relationship between diabetes and cancer. Hyperglycemia or high blood sugar can increase superoxide production. While insulin will stimulate reactive oxygen reactive (ROS). All of these can increase the risk of tumor cell growth.
How to Lower the Risk of Cancer in Diabetics
Experts state that lifestyle is the most important part of overall body health.
Some of the recommended habits include:
- More consumption of food of plant origin.
- Quit smoking.
- Reducing the consumption of sugar in food and drinks.
- Exercise every day.
- Limit alcohol consumption.
- Get enough sleep.
- Lose weight, if needed.
- Reducing blood sugar levels.
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In addition, it is also recommended to consume antioxidant supplements that can reduce inflammation in the body, including:
- Vitamin C.
- Turmeric.
- Vitamin B1.
- Quercetin.
- Resveratrol.
- Alpha-lipoic acid.
You also need to carry out routine controls, which means doing blood tests and other medical examinations.
Doctors and patients alike need to be aware that people with diabetes have a higher risk of developing cancer. A regular schedule is needed for cancer screening in people with diabetes.
If you experience significant weight loss without a specific cause or a sudden loss of appetite, it is best to inform your doctor immediately and receive cancer screening. These could be signs of the appearance of cancer cells.
Now,, that’s the relationship between diabetes and cancer that’s important for you to know. If you do frequent checks, then when there are cancer cells in the body, measures can be taken to prevent them from developing quickly.
- Anonymous. Cancer. https://www.who.int/health-topics/cancer#tab=tab_1. (Accessed January 2, 2023).
- Anonymous. What is Diabetes? https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/diabetes.html. (Accessed January 2, 2023).
- Roan, Shari. 2019. Type 2 Diabetes Linked to 11 Cancers in Men, 13 in Women. https://www.everydayhealth.com/type-2-diabetes/linked-cancers-men-women-study/. (Diakes on 2 January 2023).
- Qi, Jiying, et al. 2019. Cancer Risk Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A Real-World Study In Shanghai, China. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1753-0407.12926. (Accessed January 2, 2023).
- Vieira, Ginger. 2020. What People with Type 2 Diabetes Can Do to Lower Their Risk for Cancer, Dementia. https://www.healthline.com/health-news/what-people-with-type-2-diabetes-can-do-to-lower-their-risk-for-cancer-dementia. (Accessed January 2, 2023).
- Zhu, Bing and Shen Qu. 2022. The Relationship Between Diabetes Mellitus and Cancers and Its Underlying Mechanisms. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fendo.2022.800995/full. (Accessed January 2, 2023).
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