If you have been?told that you have?diabetes, it might?seem like the end?of the world.?You may not be?able to think about?anything except the?bad things linked?with the disease:

• The extra costs.
• The lifestyle?changes that you?need to make.
• The risk of other?disease, such?as heart attacks?and strokes.

However, researchers?have found that (if you are a woman with diabetes) certain diabetes?medicines might?help lower your risk?of some cancers.?Researchers looked?at two diabetes?medicines in?this study:

Insulin sensitizers?(metformin, Avandia,?Actos) lower blood?glucose and insulin?levels in the body by?making the muscle,?liver and fat respond?better to insulin.?There are several?types of medicines?in this group that?all work in slightly?different ways.

Insulin-release?stimulators?(glyburide, glipizide)?lower blood glucose?by telling the cells?in your pancreas to?make more insulin.

The research

A 2013 study compared records from a?diabetes database with records from a?cancer database.?The study found that women with?diabetes who took insulin sensitizers, such?as metformin, Actos, or Avandia, had a 20?percent lower risk of getting cancer than?those who took insulin-release stimulators?like glyburide or glipizide. People in the?study without diabetes who took insulin?sensitizers had about a 33 percent lower?risk of getting cancer than those who took?insulin-release stimulators. This result was?not seen in men, but more studies may?need to be done to confirm these results.