🔎︎
Obesity is known to increase the risk of pancreatic cancer, which is one of the most dangerous types of cancer, but the exact reasons why have been unclear. A study from the UK Biobank, published in the British Journal of Cancer, looked into how much of the connection between obesity and pancreatic cancer is linked to measurable health markers. They discovered that blood sugar levels and a specific blood test (HbA1c) play a significant role in this relationship.
The researchers followed 462,300 adults aged 40 to 69 for an average of about 11 years, during which 1,115 cases of pancreatic cancer were diagnosed. They found that even a small increase in body mass index (BMI) or waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) was associated with a higher risk of pancreatic cancer, with hazard ratios (HRs) of 1.20 and 1.24, respectively. Waist circumference showed a similar risk (HR of 1.25). The overall measure of body shape related to obesity also indicated the same risk level (HR of 1.20). Notably, risk increased step by step across different BMI categories, reaching an HR of 1.54 for those in the highest BMI category and 1.68 for those with the most significant waist-to-hip ratio.
Using a detailed analysis, the researchers found that blood sugar and HbA1c explained a substantial part of the link between obesity and pancreatic cancer. Specifically, for BMI, blood sugar accounted for about 15.9% of the connection, while HbA1c accounted for about 20%. For the general measure of body shape reflecting obesity, these numbers were 12.2% for blood sugar and 15.0% for HbA1c. This suggests that being overweight can lead to insulin resistance and higher blood sugar levels, which are linked to processes that encourage tumor growth. Interestingly, insulin-like growth factor 1, which is often mentioned in discussions about obesity and cancer, did not show any connection and was not a factor in this study.
These findings are significant for health programs. Since blood sugar and HbA1c are already monitored in diabetes and metabolic health programs, this research implies that managing these glucose levels might also help reduce the risk of a type of cancer with a low five-year survival rate of only about 7%. The authors suggest that regulating blood sugar could be an essential focus for reducing risk and advocate for personalized prevention and targeted interventions for at-risk groups. However, they also caution that the observational nature of the study does not prove that lowering blood sugar directly prevents pancreatic cancer.
Additionally, it's worth noting that blood samples were taken in a non-fasting state, which might weaken some of the associations found, and that the specific group studied may not fully represent the broader population.
