It's well-known that people with chronic high blood sugar levels are at a serious risk of developing diabetes.Researchers at Yeshiva University's Albert Einstein College of Medicine now believe that elevated blood glucose levels may also be associated with the onset of colorectal cancer in postmenopausal women.
The medical community previously believed that high insulin levels could cause colorectal cancer, and that this link explained the association between the carcinoma and obesity. However, results of the current study showed that even when insulin levels were normal, women with high blood sugar were more likely to develop cancer of the colon or rectum.
"It's possible that elevated glucose levels are linked to increased blood levels of growth factors and inflammatory factors that spur the growth of intestinal polyps, some of which later develop into cancer," said lead author Geoffrey Kabat, Ph.D.
The researchers said that they hope to determine next which of these factors may be the cause of colorectal cancer.
An estimated 142,670 Americans were diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2007, including nearly 70,000 women.
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