Is There A Blood Sugar and Cancer Link?

Is There A Blood Sugar and Cancer Link? In my work I focus a lot on the link between blood sugar and chronic illness. Elevated blood sugar  has become a central focus in medicine these days because of its well-established relationship to so many chronic conditions including Alzheimer’s, diabetes, obesity, and Parkinson’s. Research reveals that there may well be a relationship to cancer risk as well.

Blood Sugar and Cancer Link

In a study in JAMA, researchers found that people with the highest fasting blood sugar levels had higher mortality. Even after controlling for smoking and alcohol use, they found that those with the highest fasting blood sugar levels (≥ 140 mg/dL) had higher mortality rates from all cancers studied as compared to those with the lowest fasting blood sugar levels (≤ 90 mg/dL). This relationship was strongest for pancreatic cancer in both men and women, though there were also significant associations for other types of cancer.

What Can We Conclude from This?

I hope this study awakens us toward dietary and lifestyle changes that can help to lower blood sugar levels. My Sugar Buster Program is designed to do just that. It is all about lifestyle! Not a diet that is time limited but a  lifestyle that takes into account the role of food, sleep, stress, exercise as “prescriptions for health”. We have known for a while that  the higher the blood sugar, the faster the rate of cognitive decline, and now we add cancer risk to that as well!

Conclusion of the Study

In Korea, elevated fasting serum glucose levels and a diagnosis of diabetes are independent risk factors for several major cancers, and the risk tends to increase with an increased level of fasting serum glucose.

• The highest fasting serum glucose (> or =140 mg/dL [> or =7.8 mmol/L]) had higher death rates from all cancers combined.
• The association was strongest for pancreatic cancer,
• Significant associations were also found for cancers of the esophagus, liver, and colon/rectum in men and of the liver and cervix in women,
• Participants with a diagnosis of diabetes or a fasting serum glucose level greater than 125 mg/dL (6.9 mmol/L), risks for cancer incidence and mortality were generally elevated compared with those without diabetes.

OTHER BLOGS ON THIS TOPIC

What Are Normal Blood Sugar Levels?

The Startling Link Between Sugar and Alzheimer’s

RESOURCES