Prediabetes Linked to Increased Cancer Risk

Prediabetes refers to an intermediate stage between normal blood sugar level and overt diabetes mellitus, and covers those with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), impaired fasting glucose (IFG) or a combination of the two.  Yi Huang, from The First People’s Hospital of Shunde (China), and colleagues completed a meta-analysis of16 studies involving a total of 891,426 participants from various regions of the world.  Prediabetes associated with a 15% increased risk of cancer overall. There was no significant difference for the risk of cancer with different definitions of prediabetes (IGT or IFG).  After controlling for body mass index (BMI), the presence of prediabetes remained associated with an increased risk of cancer of 22%.  In a site-specific cancer analysis, prediabetes was significantly associated with increased risks of cancer of the stomach/colorectum (relative risk, RR 1.55), liver (RR 2.01), pancreas (RR 1.19), breast (RR 1.19) and endometrium (RR 1.60) (all statistically significant).  Submitting that: “lifestyle intervention is the mainstay of treatment for prediabetes in the general population,” the study authors report that: “this meta-analysis revealed that prediabetes was associated with an increased risk of cancer.”