A new Danish study reveals a link between type 2 diabetes and an increased risk of several types of cancer, including breast, bowel, and lung cancer.
The study showed that women with type 2 diabetes were 22% more likely to develop cancer than those without, while the risk increased for men by 12%.
The link was most pronounced in obesity-related cancers, such as kidney, pancreas, and liver cancer, where the risk of developing them increased by 45% in men with diabetes and by 30% in women.
The risk of developing bowel cancer also increased by about 17% in people with diabetes, while the risk of developing lung cancer increased by up to 25%
The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, after researchers tracked cancer cases among people with and without type 2 diabetes in Denmark between 1996 and 2022.
Over a 27-year period, researchers identified 75,540 cancer cases among people with diabetes, compared to 635,323 cases among those without. The data showed that women with diabetes had an 8% higher risk of developing breast cancer, while men with diabetes had a 17% increased risk of developing bowel cancer.
Conversely, men with diabetes were 19% less likely to develop prostate cancer than those without. The risk of lung cancer in women with diabetes also increased by 25% between 2010 and 2022, after having been 12% lower between 1996 and 2009.
These findings come amid rising rates of type 2 diabetes, obesity, and cancer, particularly among younger age groups. Cancer diagnoses among people aged 25 to 50 have increased by about a quarter in two decades, while obesity rates have doubled during the same period.
Researchers believe that excess body fat may contribute to an increased risk of cancer by raising levels of hormones and growth signals, including insulin, while high levels of sugar, insulin, and chronic inflammation may also play a role in this association.
Dr. Tin Lorberg, who co-authored the study, said the findings highlight the importance of giving greater priority to cancer prevention in people with type 2 diabetes, especially cancers associated with obesity, such as colorectal cancer and postmenopausal breast cancer.
However, the researchers emphasized that the study shows an association between diabetes and cancer, but does not prove that diabetes directly causes cancer. The study also did not include some important risk factors, such as body weight, smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity, which could explain some of the observed differences.
Experts confirm that maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, and following a balanced diet can help reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and some types of cancer.
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