Those with diabetes have a greater risk of these two cancers: Tips to stay safe

People with type 2 diabetes have an increased risk of certain cancers, research suggests. New research, which is set to be presented at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2025) in Malaga, Spain, suggests that people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes have a higher risk of developing certain obesity-related cancers, such as liver and pancreatic cancers.
The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Manchester and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Manchester Biomedical Research Centre analyzed health records from 95,000 people and found the link between type 2 diabetes and cancer.
Researchers conducted a matched cohort control study, by comparing 23,750 individuals with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes to 71,123 non-diabetic individuals. The participants in the study were matched based on age, sex, and body mass index (BMI). The researchers tracked the incidence of obesity-related cancers, including liver, pancreatic, bowel, postmenopausal breast, endometrial, kidney, stomach, gallbladder, thyroid, ovarian and multiple myeloma in these participants. During the follow-up period of five years,

Over a median follow-up period of five years, 2,431 new cancer cases were reported among individuals with type 2 diabetes, while the control group recorded 5,184 cases.
From the study, they learned that men with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes were associated with a 48% increased risk of obesity-related cancer in men and a 24% increased risk in women, an effect independent of BMI. They found no associations with several site-specific ORCs such as endometrial, and post-menopausal breast cancer in women.

The new-onset type 2 diabetes increased the risk for bowel cancer by 27% in men and 34% in women; for pancreatic cancer by 74% in men and a near-doubling of risk in women. For liver cancer newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes was associated with a near-quadrupling of risk in men and nearly 5-fold increased risk in women.
“At this stage we are unsure whether these differences in men and women are due to a sex-dependent biological pathway such as hormone levels, insulin sensitivity, body fat composition, or due to a simple difference in the number of cancers found in men and women within UK Biobank by chance,” the authors said.

“Having accounted for key biases found in previous research in this field, and confounding (by adjusting for BMI, smoking, alcohol, and detection-time bias), our findings indicate that new-onset T2DM is associated with some but not all site-specific obesity-related cancers. In turn, the pathways through which T2DM may affect obesity-related cancer require further investigation,” they added.

The author also said that several mechanisms such as high levels of insulin (hyperinsulinaemia), high levels of glucose (hyperglycaemia), and chronic inflammation are currently being studied, “Hyperinsulinemia has the strongest evidence for a plausible mechanism due to its ability to stimulate cell growth and proliferation.”

Tips to stay safe
Maintain a healthy weight – Obesity is a key risk factor for both type 2 diabetes and obesity-related cancers. Focus on a balanced diet and regular exercise to manage weight effectively.
Monitor blood sugar levels – Keeping blood glucose under control can help reduce inflammation and insulin resistance, which are linked to cancer risk.
Eat a nutrient-dense diet – Prioritize fiber-rich foods, lean proteins, and healthy fats in your diet and limit processed foods and sugary drinks to reduce cancer risk.
Stay physically active – Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week to improve insulin sensitivity and lower cancer risk.