Women diabetics at higher risk of cancer than men

A new study of more than 20 million individuals established that both men and women diabetics have higher risk of cancer, but women are at greater danger.

By: Sudhakar Jha | | Published: August 17, 2018 1:37 pm

People with diabetes have more than enough reasons to worry about their health, with chances of different diseases and symptoms cropping up every now and then, and now a new study has added to the list of worries – different types of cancer.

For the study, researchers from The George Institute for Global Health looked at almost 20 million people across the globe and concluded that people living with type 1 and type 2 diabetes have a significantly higher incidence of cancer. The researchers alarmingly added that women with diabetes are at even greater risk with a 27 per cent higher likelihood of cancer than women without diabetes. Men with diabetes, on the other hand, have a 19 per cent higher risk.

The link between diabetes and the risk of developing cancer is now firmly established,” explained Toshiaki Ohkuma, PhD, the lead author of the study and a research fellow with The George Institute for Global Health. “We have also demonstrated for the first time that women with diabetes are more likely to develop any form of cancer, and have a significantly higher chance of developing kidney, oral, and stomach cancers, and leukemia.” This isn’t the first time though that cancer risk from diabetes has been studied.

Why are women at higher risk?

While it’s not clear why women are at higher risk, Sanne Peters, PhD, a study co-author and a research fellow in epidemiology at The George Institute for Global Health at the University of Oxford, believes in the theory that women experience prediabetes for about two years longer than men before receiving adequate treatment.

“Historically we know that women are often undertreated when they first present with symptoms of diabetes, are less likely to receive intensive care, and are not taking the same levels of medications as men,” said Peters. “All of these could go some way into explaining why women are at greater risk of developing cancer. But, without more research we can’t be certain.”

Dr. Peters also added that it’s also well-established that risk factors vary greatly for conditions such as heart disease and stroke in women.

Regardless of gender, there’s no arguing that the more diligent a person with any type of diabetes is with eating a diet consisting of mostly whole foods, getting plenty of exercise, monitoring blood glucose levels daily, adjusting medications with the support of their healthcare team, and maintaining a healthy weight will reduce their risk of cancer.

Image source: Shutterstock

Published: August 17, 2018 1:37 pm

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