Diabetes Increases Colon Cancer Risk

Diabetes itself has a host of serious and life threatening complications including issues with wound healing, nerve damage, kidney damage, blindness and even foot and/or leg amputation. If that wasn't enough, a new study indicates those with diabetes also have a significantly higher risk of developing colon cancer - the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. In a review of 14 international studies, researchers found diabetics to have a 38 percent greater risk of developing colon cancer and a 20 percent greater risk of developing rectal cancer. Additional studies have also found this link between diabetes and colon cancer. And although there is no cure for diabetes, there is something that can be done to better manage diabetes while reducing the odds of acquiring not only colon cancer, but other cancers - participate in regular physical activity, follow a healthy diet and if applicable, eliminate smoking.