a good glucose control is important for reducing the risk of cancer in obesity and in type 2 diabetes. Large lasting weight loss, as such, appears to offer protection against cancer, but with good glucose control the number of cancer cases also drops dramatically, as a study byUniversity of Gothenburg.
The results of the Research have been published in the scientific journal Diabetes Care.
Glucose control: this is why it is important to monitor it constantly
That obesity is a risk factor for both type 2 diabetes and several types of cancer is a notorious fact. Likewise, intentional weight loss through, for example, the bariatric surgery it often results in improved diabetes and many patients are routed towards normal glucose control.
For patients with obesity, the risk of cancer can also be reduced after significant and long-lasting weight loss. However, there have been relatively few studies on the association between weight loss, cancer risk, and glucose control in patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes.
This new research used data from the intervention study “SOS” (Swedish Obese Subjects), conducted and coordinated byUniversity of Gothenburg, as well as data from other sources, such as Swedish Cancer Register.
The researchers studied a group of 393 people with type 2 diabetes undergoing bariatric surgery and compared them to a control group of 308 people with the same clinical characteristics.: had severe obesity and type 2 diabetes, but had not undergone bariatric surgery. In other respects, such as in terms of gender composition, blood sugar and smoking, the two groups were comparable.
In the surgical group, 68 individuals (approximately 17 percent) developed cancer in parallel with significant weight loss. The corresponding cases of emerging cancer in the control group were 74 (24%), while these individuals maintained their condition of severe obesity.
The mean follow-up period was 21 years. Overall, the risk of getting cancer was 37% lower in the obesity surgery group. the greatest difference was seen when the cancer risk was analyzed in patients who achieved normal glucose control and had no diabetes relapse over a ten-year period.
Among these patients, the incidence of cancer was only 12 out of 102 (12 percent), compared with 75 out of 335 (22 percent) in the group whose diabetes recurred at the same time. Therefore, the results show a 60% reduction in cancer risk in the group where normal glucose control was maintained for 10 years.
“What we see is that, among patients with type 2 diabetes, many cases of cancer are preventable. These findings are an important contribution that improves our understanding of the connection between glucose control and cancer prevention“, he has declared Kajsa Sjöholm, Associate Professor of Molecular Medicine at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, and first author of the study.
Magdalena dove, Associate Professor of Molecular Medicine at theAccademia Sahlgrenska, University of Gothenburg, is the senior author of the study, said: “The global epidemic of obesity and diabetes leads to an increased risk of cancer, as well as an increased risk of premature death. It has been estimated that obesity will cause more cancer cases than smoking in several countries over the next 10-15 years. This is a clear example of how serious the condition is ”.
“Strategies are needed to prevent this development and our findings can provide vital guidance for cancer prevention in patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes.”concluded Taube.
Global obesity has nearly tripled since 1975. In 2016, more than 1.9 billion adults, ages 18 and up, were overweight. Of these, more than 650 million were obese. In 2016, 39% of adults aged 18 and over were overweight and 13% were obese.
Most of the world’s population lives in countries where overweight and obesity kill more people than underweight.In 2020, 39 million children under the age of 5 were overweight or obese.In 2016, more than 340 million children and adolescents between the ages of 5 and 19 were overweight or obese.
Overweight and obesity are defined as an abnormal or excessive accumulation of fat that can compromise health. Body mass index (BMI) is a simple weight-for-height index commonly used to classify overweight and obesity in adults. It is defined as a person’s weight in kilograms divided by the square of their height in meters (kg / m 2 ).
The prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents aged 5-19 has increased dramatically from just 4% in 1975 to just over 18% in 2016. The increase occurred similarly among both boys and girls: in 2016, 18% of girls and 19% of boys were overweight.
Overweight and obesity are linked to more deaths worldwide than underweight. Globally, there are more obese people than underweight – this occurs in every region except parts of sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.
