Elevated Insulin and Blood Sugar Levels Increase the Risk of Cancer, According to Multiple Studies

(Naturalhealth365) According to the National Cancer Institute, the number of new cancer cases will rise to 22 million within the next two decades – while over 30 million adults in the United States are currently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.  The sad part is: conventionally speaking, insulin and its impact on cancer risk is widely unknown by the general public – yet, extremely important.

Keep in mind, these two seemingly unrelated topics – new cancer cases and diabetes – are much more closely related than they appear. Hyperinsulinemia – defined as too much circulating insulin in the blood, relative to levels of glucose – is not, strictly speaking, diabetes, but rather a symptom of a larger issue described as metabolic syndrome.

Recent research has revealed that elevated levels of insulin can cause a spiral of ill health and set the stage for potentially life-threatening ailments – including raising the risk of certain cancers.

High insulin levels create a “perfect storm” of conditions that promote cancer

Insulin, a hormone produced in the pancreas, allows cells to absorb glucose in order to turn it into energy. But aging, obesity, a sedentary lifestyle and a diet high in toxic fats and simple sugars can cause insulin resistance – in which the hormone is no longer completely effective.

In response, the body creates more and more insulin – leading to a vicious cycle of excess insulin and elevated blood sugar.

Because insulin is a growth factor, hyperinsulinemia promotes extremely rapid cell division (bad news when cancer cells are involved), thereby causing greater proliferation, migration and invasiveness of cancer.

In addition, chronically elevated insulin and blood sugar cause cells to lose control of their DNA regulatory genes, triggering possible cancer-causing mutations – while elevated blood levels of glucose and triglycerides in the blood provide fuel for the growth of tumors.

In one particularly revealing study, researchers injected colon cancer cells into mice, and then fed them either a normal or a high-calorie diet. The mice on the high-calorie diet developed elevated levels of insulin – but this was not the most significant finding.

Within 17 days, their tumors had grown to double the size of the tumors in the normal-diet group. And these aren’t the only mechanisms by which hyperinsulinemia harms health – increased oxidative stress and heightened inflammation can also occur.

Other possible consequences of hyperinsulinemia include obesity, an increased risk of blood clots, atherosclerosis, high blood pressure and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. But it is the link to cancer that was highlighted most emphatically in recent studies.

Elevated insulin levels raise cancer risk to a shocking extent

In a 2014 study published in Gynecologic Oncology, researchers found that hyperinsulinemia caused a staggering 45-fold greater chance of type 1 endometrial cancer, a cancer of the uterine lining.

Yes, you read that correctly. Elevated insulin levels caused a 45 times greater risk, leading researchers to conclude that hyperinsulinemia could even be a “key factor” in the initiation and promotion of cancer cell growth.

High levels of insulin also raise risk of prostate cancer malignancies by 2.55-fold, with a 5.62-fold risk of locally advanced tumors.

While hyperinsulinemia didn’t cause other cancer risks to skyrocket like the odds for endometrial cancer, they were still concerning. Elevated insulin was found to triple the risk of breast cancer, raise the risk of colorectal cancer by up to 42 percent and raise the risk of stomach cancer 69 to 101 percent.

And, when paired with hepatitis B, high insulin levels raised risk of liver cancer 2.4-fold. (these are staggering figures!)

Suppress after-meal insulin and glucose spikes naturally

With elevated insulin levels associated with higher odds of cancer, researchers point to the need to reduce post-prandial – or after-meal – surges in insulin and glucose levels. (Heightened levels of insulin and blood sugar after meals can eventually become chronic, setting the stage for type 2 diabetes).

And, it turns out that extracts from the maqui berry (scientifically known as Aristotelia chilensis) can do just that. Extensive studies point up the exciting potential of these tiny berries to lower insulin and blood sugar naturally.

Researchers report that compounds in maqui berries known as delphinidins and anthocyanins can stimulate the release of glucagon-like peptide-1, which delays stomach emptying and allows more time for glucose from a meal to reach the tissues in the small intestine.

In one placebo-controlled study, researchers found that maqui berry extracts suppressed after-meal insulin production by up to 56 percent –and glucose levels by up to 15 percent.

In addition to managing post-meal spikes, maqui berry extracts can lower hemoglobin A1c blood levels, which measure glucose levels over several months.

Clove and cinnamon: A pair of baking spices increase insulin efficiency

Common kitchen cloves, or Syzygium aromaticum, contain polyphenols that regulate the enzyme responsible for releasing glucose into the bloodstream, thereby improving insulin sensitivity and helping to control after-meal blood glucose.

In one study, 250 mg of clove extract daily for 30 days reduced glucose significantly. In another study, type 2 diabetics eating the equivalent of one or two cloves a day over 30 days experienced significant decreases in serum glucose.

When it comes to improving insulin efficiency, cinnamon is also a powerful ally. Researchers have learned that beneficial plant compounds in cinnamon known as proanthocyanidins work on two different components involved in insulin function – an insulin receptor and a glucose transporter.

These antioxidant compounds also inhibit the inflammatory response and reduce oxidative damage. Of course, as always, we encourage you to review this information with a trusted, medical professional – especially when dealing with a blood sugar issue.

Sources for this article include:

Cancer.gov
LifeExtension.com
NIH.gov
NIH.gov

Cancer & Heart Disease

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