Cancer and diabetes are intricately linked, says Dr Leigh Erin Connealy. Here’s how diet and lifestyle changes can help you sidestep both
If you’ve noticed your blood sugar levels slowly creeping up over the last few years, you might be tempted to think it’s not that big of a deal. But in reality, regular blood sugar spikes could be setting the stage for more than insulin sensitivity, metabolic disorders and diabetes. Another debilitating chronic illness shares common ties with blood sugar concerns: cancer.
While the medical world seeks to uncover the definitive link between these two insidious diseases, let’s examine integrative medicine’s approach to treatment and—more importantly—to prevention.
Type 2 diabetes is characterized by the body’s inability to properly produce and/or use insulin, which causes chronically elevated blood sugar levels that destroy the body over time. In the short term, type 2 diabetes can cause intense thirst, frequent urination, blurred vision, slow-healing wounds, neuropathy (tingling or numbness in the extremities), itchy skin and yeast infections, to name a few of the most common symptoms.
Uncontrolled high blood sugar over the long term can impact health on a much larger scale. Undiagnosed or untreated type 2 diabetes can lead to chronic inflammation, loss of limbs, kidney problems, blindness and cardiovascular complications, including heart attack and stroke. This disrupted body state is also a breeding ground for cancer.
It’s time to start taking blood sugar control and diabetes prevention seriously.
Type 2 diabetes is running rampant across the globe. Worldwide, its incidence has skyrocketed over the last three decades.
According to the World Health Organization, the disease affected 220 million individuals worldwide in 1990 and a whopping 830 million in 2022.1 This fourfold-plus increase is alarming, to say the least, and numbers are still on the rise.
Once called adult-onset diabetes, type 2 diabetes is now being diagnosed in younger and younger people. Diets full of processed foods, a sedentary or largely inactive lifestyle, and excess weight or obesity are some of the main contributing—and preventable—causes.
While one is a metabolic disorder and the other the product of unmitigated, malignant cell reproduction, the link between type 2 diabetes and several cancer types is complicated but very real (see below).
Understanding how these two conditions are related is an ongoing endeavor, but we know that both involve systemic inflammation, hormonal imbalances, oxidative stress and lifestyle choices. Here are some of the main controllable risk factors the two conditions have in common.
Alcohol use. One alcoholic beverage a day for women and two for men has been shown to increase both diabetes and cancer risk. And in January of this year, the US surgeon general suggested warning labels be added to alcoholic beverages explicitly noting that consumption increases the risk of cancers of the mouth, throat, voice box, esophagus, breast, liver, colon and rectum.
Inactivity. Regular physical activity positively impacts all areas of health. People who are active on a regular basis decrease their chances of being diagnosed with both cancer and diabetes.
Obesity. Being significantly overweight or obese throws off hormone levels, increases inflammation throughout the body, and can create insulin resistance—all factors that increase diabetes and cancer risk.
Smoking. Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death and a significant risk factor for cancer and diabetes.
Chronic systemic inflammation is also a shared symptom of diabetes and cancer. In fact, inflammation is at the root of nearly every single chronic disease.
The body produces a natural inflammatory response as a result of injury or damage. It’s necessary and required for healing. Imagine the redness, swelling, heat and other symptoms that accompany a scraped knee or a sprained ankle. The acute inflammatory response aids in repair and recovery and goes away once healing has occurred.
However, problems arise when that inflammatory response is ongoing for months—or even years. In this imbalanced state, unrelenting inflammation creates cellular dysfunction and can compromise organs and whole body systems over time.
The good news is straightforward lab work can measure levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) in the blood to determine whether inflammation is present and to what degree.
Minute levels of CRP (under 0.3 mg/dL) are considered normal or healthy. Levels ranging from 0.3 to 1.0 mg/dL fall in the normal to minor elevation category. They can be caused by obesity, pregnancy, gum disease, the common cold or an inactive lifestyle.
Levels between 1.0 and 10.0 are moderate elevations and reveal systemic inflammation potentially triggered by an autoimmune disease, serious infection, heart disease, or cancer.
If CRP levels are higher than 10.0 mg/dL, an acute bacterial or viral infection, vasculitis or significant trauma is likely to blame. Extremely elevated levels, 50.0 mg/dL or higher, could indicate sepsis or other lethal bacterial infections.2
Luckily, a variety of lifestyle changes (coming up soon) can counter systemic inflammation and lower your risk of both cancer and diabetes.
To regain or maintain optimal health and stave off diseases such as cancer and diabetes, the body must be in a balanced state, called homeostasis. In my updated and fully revised second edition of The Cancer Revolution (available this summer), I discuss this balance at length.
In the case of diabetes, uncontrolled blood sugar levels disrupt and create dysfunction in the cells and organs. Similarly, in cancer, malignant cells mutate and proliferate, creating multiple issues.
I use the analogy of an earthquake in your body because of the chaos cancer creates. It can take teams of physicians years to repair the damage and restore balance, which is why it’s imperative we take steps now to keep or regain homeostasis. That’s when lifestyle changes and prevention come into play.
Addressing the controllable factors that raise your risk of diabetes and cancer can help to prevent these diseases. And even if you’ve already been diagnosed with one of them, don’t despair. You can start making real, lasting changes today that can improve your health and even reverse disease.
Here are five diet and lifestyle changes that can make a massive difference to your health.
1. Lose weight with the right nutrition
Carrying around excess weight is one of the biggest contributors to diabetes, and it can also create a breeding ground for cancer. Aside from the physical strain on the body, the excess hormones contained in adipose (fat) tissues are damaging to all the body’s systems.
Many people think exercise is the biggest factor in losing weight, but long-term successful weight loss begins in the kitchen. Whether your goal is blood sugar control or cancer prevention, my nutritional advice is similar.
Prioritize quality protein. Eat plenty of organic, clean, lean protein from grass-fed, pasture-raised animals. Excellent options include chicken, beef, lamb, turkey, bison, low-mercury fish, eggs and egg whites.
Eat your veggies and fruits. Include lots of organic low-starch, low-glycemic vegetables and fruits too. Great choices are leafy greens, artichokes, asparagus, green beans, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, mushrooms, zucchini, berries and citrus fruits.
Choose good fats. Avoid heavily processed and heat-treated seed oils such as canola, corn, cottonseed, soy, sunflower, safflower, grapeseed and rice bran. Instead, consume plenty of healthy fats from avocados and avocado oil, coconuts and coconut oil, MCT oil, almonds, macadamia nuts, walnuts, olives and pumpkin seeds.
Fill up on fiber. Dietary fiber is an excellent way to prevent and manage diabetes. Fiber isn’t absorbed or broken down in the body in the same manner as other carbohydrates, so it doesn’t increase blood sugar in the same way.
Additionally, fiber helps you feel full longer, aiding in satiety and weight management.3 Getting enough fiber can also help stave off cancer.
The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) recommends at least 30 grams of dietary fiber each day as part of a healthy diet to lower cancer risk. According to the AICR, each 10 g increase in dietary fiber is linked to a 7 percent lower risk of colorectal cancer.4
Skip the starch and sugar. Avoid processed and sugary carbohydrates such as bread, pasta, crackers, baked goods, desserts and candy. These foods cause blood sugar spikes, contribute to weight gain and are generally best avoided on healthy diet plans. The same goes for sugary sodas and sports drinks.
2. Move more
You don’t have to join a gym or run marathons; every bit of movement counts. The American Diabetes Association and most other health organizations agree that 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week is a good goal.5
What does that look like, exactly? Here are a few examples of moderate-intensity exercises you can do in whatever time increments work to add up to those 150 weekly minutes:
Another easy way to avoid being sedentary is to set a timer so you’ll get up to walk and move a bit every hour if you regularly sit at a desk or computer. You can also park in the far corners of the parking lot when shopping to increase your step count and take phone calls while out on a walk instead of on the couch or at your desk. Whatever you do, just keep moving
3. Kick the habit
If you smoke, do everything in your power to quit. Discuss alcohol use with your physician and/or nutritionist, as even small amounts can disrupt blood sugar levels, add extra calories and create a breeding ground for disease.
4. Take care of your mental health
Most doctors outside the integrative/functional field will never ask patients how they’re doing mentally or emotionally. This is a travesty because good emotional health coupled with a positive mental outlook is crucial to overall health, disease prevention and healing.
Regardless of your health status, surround yourself with friends, family or loved ones who nourish your soul and make you happy. Engage in self-care activities daily that “fill your cup,” whether that’s repeating positive affirmations in the mirror in the morning, practicing yoga or meditating, or taking a relaxing bath at night.
Do what you can to eliminate unnecessary stressors, address unresolved conflicts and remove negativity from your life. Whether you’re facing a health issue or not, this focus on self-care will better your health.
5. Find the right practitioner
Conventional medicine’s knee-jerk answers for weight loss and blood sugar control are almost always prescription medications. These meds do little more than Band-Aid the issues and are rife with side effects that do more harm than good.
Conversely, a program of well-thought-out lifestyle changes that encompasses all your diet, exercise and supplement needs is safe and effective. It can be crafted by a knowledgeable integrative physician to meet your specific needs.
Finding a plan that you can easily implement and stick with for the long term is your best bet for preventing or treating diabetes and cancer. To find a practitioner near you who is well versed in these head-to-toe wellness methods, search the directories at the Institute for Functional Medicine (ifm.org) and the American College for Advancement in Medicine (acam.org).
Per the American Diabetes Association,1 cancers that have been associated with type 2 diabetes include:
Vitamin D3 (the most bioavailable form of this fat-soluble vitamin) is one of the most potent anticancer supplements found in nature. And vitamin D deficiency has been linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. Yet many people suffer from woefully low levels of this life-giving vitamin.
Behaving more like a hormone than a vitamin, this nutrient is produced naturally when ultraviolet B (UVB) rays of sunlight are absorbed through the skin. Just 15–20 minutes of daily midday sun exposure can produce roughly 8,000–10,000 IU of vitamin D.
This isn’t always realistic because of time constraints, poor weather or contraindicated health conditions, so supplementation is another safe option. Most people can benefit from taking 5,000–15,000 IU of vitamin D3 daily.
But the only way to accurately check your levels is to ask your doctor to do a blood test. Aim for the top half of the testing range, ideally 50–70 ng/mL. Be sure to work with your physician to come up with the proper daily dose based on your lab findings.
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