HEALTH COACH - Brain Cancer: Study illuminates the unexpected link between glioma and blood sugar

HEALTH COACH -

 Brain Cancer: Study illuminates the unexpected link between glioma and blood sugar  





 The increase in blood glucose or diabetes is linked to an increased risk of developing most cancers. However, studies have revealed that brain cancers such as glioma are less common in people with diabetes and high blood sugar levels. Now, a new study begins to illuminate this surprising link. Perhaps, do researchers ask that brain tumors have a strong effect on blood glucose levels? 
 
  
  New research suggests that there may be a link between blood sugar and glioma. 

 Researchers - including members of the Ohio State University (OSU) in Columbus - report their findings in the journal  Scientific Reports . 

 The author co-lead Judith Schwartzbaum, Associate Professor of Epidemiology at OSU, states: "Diabetes and high blood sugar increase the risk of cancer at several sites, including colon, breast and The bladder. "

  However, this is not the case with brain cancer like glioma, she adds. Instead, "these rare malignant brain tumors are more common in people who have normal blood sugar levels than those with blood sugar or diabetes"  

 The new study builds on previous work carried out by Prof. Schwartzbaum who found a link between hyperglycemia and the reduced risk of meningioma - a non - malignant brain tumor 
.

 Glioma is one of the most common cancers that occur in the brain. It accounts for nearly a quarter of all primary brain tumors and three-quarters of all malignant tumors. 

 Pre-symptomatic glioma indicators very necessary 

 Glioma begins in the cells of the glia in the brain. Glia cells are more abundant and very different from neurons or nerve cells. 


  Quick facts about the brain tumor  
 
 Approximately 80,000 people per year are diagnosed with primary brain tumors in the United States. 
 Of these, approximately 53,000 should not be malignant. 
 The most common age at which a primary brain tumor is diagnosed in the United States is 59 years. 
 
 More about the cerebral tumor 
 

 Glia cells do not emit the electrical signals that we normally associate with the brain function that neurons do; Instead, they protect, maintain and support neurons. 

 Glioma is usually diagnosed in middle age. The researchers explain that there is currently no treatment capable of ensuring long-term survival, although some options are being investigated. 

 Mean survival for patients diagnosed with glioblastoma - the common adult form of glioma - is only 14 months. 

  Moreover, as the symptoms usually occur only 3 months before diagnosis, the authors note that "it is therefore important that indicators of the preclinical tumor be identified before the onset of symptoms."  

 The new study examines data from two major long-term research projects: AMORIS and Me-Can, which totaled 797,945 participants of whom 812 developed gliomas 
.

 The team analyzed data on blood glucose and diabetes - including those related to the pre-diagnosis period - and how this relates to the subsequent diagnosis of glioma. 

 "Can the glioma affect blood sugar levels?" 

 The results showed that participants with blood glucose and diabetes were less likely to develop glioma. In addition, the link was the strongest in the year before diagnosis. 

 Schwartzbaum said this result allowed the team to ask, "Why is the association between blood glucose levels and brain cancer contrary to that of several other cancerous tumors?" 

 In their paper, they discuss a number of factors that could shed light on this issue. 

  For example, could the tumor affect blood sugar levels? It is known, for example, that insulin - like growth factor is related to the recurrence of glioma, and people with diabetes have less than people without diabetes.  

 Another explanation could stem from how the brain uses glucose. Although it accounts for only 2 percent of body mass, the human brain consumes about 20 percent of the available glucose, says Prof. Schwartzbaum. 

 It is up to other studies to investigate these issues and see if there is anything in the relationship between blood and brain tumors that can be used to develop new ones Treatments for brain cancer. 

 "Our research raises questions that, once answered, will lead to a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in glioma development." 
 
 Judith Schwartzbaum 
 

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