The researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, posted review of new research that confirms people with diabetes have an increased risk of colon cancer. This should come as no surprise since diabetics have an increased risk of anything. This is not really some sort of medical science break through, however the study was just published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology last week. The authors noted that according to their findings, that a person with diabetes has a 38 percent higher risk of developing colon cancer compared with others. Male patients with diabetes have a 20 percent higher risk of developing rectal cancer. The researchers then added that they are not sure what makes the link between diabetes and colon the cancer risk, and therefore they can not determine what can be done about it.

Some experts believe that hormones may play a role in the connection. Since diabetic patients have elevated levels of insulin, which is a hormone, it is thought that these hormones may help the cancer cells to grow and spread to other parts of the body. Here is another no brainer that did not stop the world from turning - the researchers at the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center have found that diabetic patients who were regular smokers are even more at risk of developing cancer of the colon. Now it should be known that the authors of this newly published ground breaking study, noted that they did not in any way, shape, or form, take into account variables that could affect these new results, such as levels of smoking, obesity, age, sex, and physical inactivity. In other words, only with their highly educated observational skills did they come to the conclusion that it just seems that diabetics are at a higher risk for getting colon cancer.

Here is one odd conclusion to this new research that made it into the Journal of Gastroenterology. The researchers say that the screening for colon cancer should be done when at the age of 50, and unless predisposed to the disease, only then should you start screening any earlier. But the odd thing about this is that diabetes is not considered to be one of those factors! The predisposed factors they are talking about include having a family history of colon cancer, colitis, and other inflammatory bowel disease. Even though colon cancer is the third leading cause of death from any cancer, researchers are sticking with the same recommendations for pre-screening.