Think Pinker

Diabetes and cancer are the two most common diseases in the US. You might be surprised to learn that these two actually surpas heart disease. But according to a new report on CNN it seems that if you have diabetes and you have breast cancer or other forms of cancer your mortality rate goes up considerably.

That’s why researchers are now focussing on diabetes health problems in an effort to reduce breast cancer deaths. They currently aren’t sure what type of impact they can have on current rates but even a 5% death reduction is better than none at all.

Why is mortality rates higher in women with diabetes? It’s believed that it may have something to do with the weakened immune systems. Another theory is that the high blood sugar levels actually feed the tumors causing them to grow much faster.

What is known for certain is that women with diabetes are much more likely to be diagnosed with their breast cancer at a much later stage, which automatically lowers their survival rate.

Then again another group of experts feel there is no relationship between diabetes and higher breast cancer mortality rates, because those with diabetes are at a much greater risk of developing all kinds of health issues.

The key here is that if you are diabetic you need to take good care of yourself, conduct monthly self examinations, and have a yearly mammogram!