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Item
#3
High
Blood Sugar Levels Increase Pancreatic Cancer Risk
Issue
1 May 22, 2000 Revisited
Diabetes
and related health factors such as abnormal blood sugar levels,
obesity and elevated serum uric acid concentrations have long been
associated with higher cardiovascular disease risk.
A
new study by Northwestern University Medical School researchers
has also linked these health conditions to increased risk for
pancreatic cancer. Results of the study, which appear in the May
17 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association,
showed that risk for pancreatic cancer rose incrementally with an
individual's blood glucose level.
The
association between pancreatic cancer and blood glucose levels
also was independent of known pancreatic cancer risk factors, such
as cigarette smoking and age, said Susan M. Gapstur, assistant
professor of preventive medicine at the Medical School and lead
author of the article.
"Because
the prevalence of type-II diabetes and obesity, including
childhood obesity, is steadily increasing, identifying a potential
causal association between hyperglycemia and pancreatic cancer
could have important preventive and prognosticative implications
for this cancer," Dr. Gapstur said.
In
the United States, pancreatic cancer is the fifth most common
cause of cancer death. Pancreatic cancer is difficult to diagnose,
and tumors usually are detected after they have spread in the
body. Thus, prognosis for pancreatic cancer is poor.
Dr.
Gapstur and colleagues expanded on an earlier American Heart
Association study of nearly 40,000 men and women who were screened
for cardiovascular disease risk and followed up for an average of
25 years.
They
analyzed the data to determine the association between blood
glucose levels and risk for pancreatic cancer death among study
participants who did not have diabetes when they entered the
study, including 139 individuals who died of pancreatic cancer
during the follow-up period.
The
analysis used blood sugar levels measured one hour after
participants had consumed a drink containing 50 grams of glucose
and factored in other pancreatic cancer risk factors, such as age,
race, smoking, obesity and blood uric acid level.
The
researchers also assessed the association of pancreatic cancer
death in those who had diabetes at the beginning of the study.
Results
of the study showed a definite relationship between plasma glucose
level and risk for dying of pancreatic cancer in both men and
women who had elevated blood glucose levels. The study also
indicated a positive association between cigarette smoking and
risk for pancreatic cancer death.
In
addition, the researchers observed over a twofold greater risk for
pancreatic cancer death among men who had diabetes when they
entered the study.
"These
results underscore the importance of research focusing on
developing effective strategies aimed at modifying lifestyle
factors, such as diet and physical activity, that are associated
with hyperglycemia and diabetes," Dr. Gapstur said.
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FACT:
9.4%
Percentage of US healthcare expenditures directly related to
obesity and inactivity.
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