IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v16y2025i1d10.1038_s41467-025-57344-1.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The relationship between diet, plasma glucose, and cancer prevalence across vertebrates

Author

Listed:
  • Stefania E. Kapsetaki

    (Arizona State University
    Arizona State University
    Department of Biology
    Department of Pharmacology)

  • Anthony J. Basile

    (Arizona State University
    Arizona State University
    State University of New York (SUNY) at Oneonta)

  • Zachary T. Compton

    (Arizona State University
    University of Arizona Cancer Center
    University of Arizona College of Medicine)

  • Shawn M. Rupp

    (Arizona State University
    Arizona State University)

  • Elizabeth G. Duke

    (Arizona State University
    North Carolina State University
    North Carolina State University)

  • Amy M. Boddy

    (Arizona State University
    North Carolina State University
    University of California)

  • Tara M. Harrison

    (Arizona State University
    North Carolina State University
    North Carolina State University)

  • Karen L. Sweazea

    (Arizona State University
    Arizona State University
    Arizona State University)

  • Carlo C. Maley

    (Arizona State University
    Arizona State University
    Arizona State University)

Abstract

Birds have higher plasma glucose concentrations but lower cancer prevalence than other vertebrates. However, this inverse relationship between glucose and cancer may not hold within vertebrate groups. Given that diet affects blood sugar levels, and carnivores have higher cancer risk than herbivores, we also examined whether diet correlates with plasma glucose concentrations. We collected diet, mean plasma glucose concentration, and neoplasia data for up to 273 vertebrate species from existing databases. Across vertebrates, mean plasma glucose concentration negatively correlated with cancer prevalence, but that was mostly driven by differences in mean plasma glucose concentration and cancer prevalence between birds, mammals, and reptiles. Mean plasma glucose concentration was not correlated with diet across vertebrates nor with cancer prevalence within birds, mammals, or reptiles. Primary carnivores had higher neoplasia prevalence than herbivores when controlling for domestication. A hypothetical explanation for our results may be the evolutionary loss or downregulation of genes related to insulin-mediated glucose import in bird cells. This may have led to higher mean plasma glucose concentration, lower intracellular glucose concentrations in the form of glycogen, and production of fewer reactive oxygen species and inflammatory cytokines, potentially contributing to lower neoplasia prevalence in extant birds compared to mammals and reptiles.

Suggested Citation

  • Stefania E. Kapsetaki & Anthony J. Basile & Zachary T. Compton & Shawn M. Rupp & Elizabeth G. Duke & Amy M. Boddy & Tara M. Harrison & Karen L. Sweazea & Carlo C. Maley, 2025. "The relationship between diet, plasma glucose, and cancer prevalence across vertebrates," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-11, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-57344-1
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-57344-1
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-57344-1
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-025-57344-1?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Massimo Bernardi & Piero Gianolla & Fabio Massimo Petti & Paolo Mietto & Michael J. Benton, 2018. "Dinosaur diversification linked with the Carnian Pluvial Episode," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 9(1), pages 1-10, December.
    2. Michael Brownlee, 2001. "Biochemistry and molecular cell biology of diabetic complications," Nature, Nature, vol. 414(6865), pages 813-820, December.
    3. Orsolya Vincze & Fernando Colchero & Jean-Francois Lemaître & Dalia A. Conde & Samuel Pavard & Margaux Bieuville & Araxi O. Urrutia & Beata Ujvari & Amy M. Boddy & Carlo C. Maley & Frédéric Thomas & M, 2022. "Cancer risk across mammals," Nature, Nature, vol. 601(7892), pages 263-267, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Meng-Wei Chang & Chun-Ying Huang & Hang-Tsung Liu & Yi-Chun Chen & Ching-Hua Hsieh, 2018. "Stress-Induced and Diabetic Hyperglycemia Associated with Higher Mortality among Intensive Care Unit Trauma Patients: Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Propensity Score-Matched Population," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-10, May.
    2. Jhauharotul Muchlisyiyah & Rosnah Shamsudin & Roseliza Kadir Basha & Radhiah Shukri & Syahmeer How & Keshavan Niranjan & Daniel Onwude, 2023. "Parboiled Rice Processing Method, Rice Quality, Health Benefits, Environment, and Future Perspectives: A Review," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-24, July.
    3. Nuria Martinez & Lorissa J. Smulan & Michael L. Jameson & Clare M. Smith & Kelly Cavallo & Michelle Bellerose & John Williams & Kim West & Christopher M. Sassetti & Amit Singhal & Hardy Kornfeld, 2023. "Glycerol contributes to tuberculosis susceptibility in male mice with type 2 diabetes," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-11, December.
    4. Jian-bin Su & Xiao-hua Yang & Xiu-lin Zhang & Hong-li Cai & Hai-yan Huang & Li-hua Zhao & Feng Xu & Tong Chen & Xing-bo Cheng & Xue-qin Wang & Yan Lu, 2017. "The association of long-term glycaemic variability versus sustained chronic hyperglycaemia with heart rate-corrected QT interval in patients with type 2 diabetes," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(8), pages 1-12, August.
    5. Sina Rhein & Riccardo Costalunga & Julica Inderhees & Tammo Gürtzgen & Teresa Christina Faupel & Zaib Shaheryar & Adriana Arrulo Pereira & Alaa Othman & Kimberly Begemann & Sonja Binder & Ines Stöltin, 2024. "The reactive pyruvate metabolite dimethylglyoxal mediates neurological consequences of diabetes," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-20, December.
    6. Daryl I Smith & Hai T Tran, 2018. "Hemodynamic Considerations in the Pathophysiology of Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy," Current Research in Diabetes & Obesity Journal, Juniper Publishers Inc., vol. 5(5), pages 92-97, February.
    7. Daryl I Smith & Hai T Tran, 2018. "Hemodynamic Considerations in the Pathophysiology of Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy," Current Research in Diabetes & Obesity Journal, Juniper Publishers Inc., vol. 5(5), pages 1-6, February.
    8. Huiru Bai & Xiaoqin Liu & Meizhen Lin & Yuan Meng & Ruolan Tang & Yajing Guo & Nan Li & Michael F. Clarke & Shang Cai, 2024. "Progressive senescence programs induce intrinsic vulnerability to aging-related female breast cancer," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-19, December.
    9. M Usman & AS Qureshi & MZ Ali & Z Umer & MK Ateeq & A Sarfraz & M Hussain & FR Anjum & N Mahmood & M Fakhar-I-Adil & S Umer & H Zhu, 2020. "The effects of long-term diabetes on the haematological and uterine indicators and their association with neonatal nephrogenesis counter-protected by camel milk: A time dependent study," Veterinární medicína, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 65(1), pages 25-35.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-57344-1. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.