Researchers have identified a blood protein, prostasin, whose elevated levels in the body increase the risk of developing diabetes and death from cancer. The protein has been found to suppress high blood sugar-induced tumor growth and glucose metabolism.

The research published in Diabetologia found that people with prostasin were likely to develop diabetes by 76% and likely to die from cancer by 43%. For each doubling of prostasin concentration, the risk of cancer mortality increased by 139% and 24%, respectively, among participants with and without elevated levels of blood glucose (impaired fasting glucose). Prostasin levels were also found to be a predictor of diabetes in younger participants and individuals with lower blood glucose levels and better kidney function. Professor Gunnar Engstrom from Lund University in Malmo, Sweden stated that prostasin might be a predictor of the disease or could be causally relevant. But it does raise the possibility of developing therapies targeting this protein for treating both diabetes and cancer.

Dr. Xue Bao, Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, China, added that prostasin is a new potential risk marker for the development of diabetes and cancer mortality, especially in individuals with high blood glucose levels. In the study, after adjusting for potential confounding factors, such as age, sex, waist circumference, smoking and drinking habits, LDL-cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, and anti-hypertensive medication, elevated prostasin levels were found to be positively associated with the presence of diabetes. Also, participants with the highest prostasin quartile are almost twice as likely to have diabetes compared to the lowest. 

(Source: https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay?newsID=987462 )