Research identifies protein that can predict future diabetes risk, cancer death

New research suggests that people with elevated levels of the protein prostasin (mainly found in epithelial cells which line the surfaces and organs of the body) may be at higher risk of developing diabetes. The findings were published in Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes). Importantly, the findings also indicate that individuals with elevated levels of both blood sugar and prostasin appear at significantly greater risk of death from cancer. Prostasin is a stimulator of epithelial sodium channels that regulate sodium balance, blood volume, and blood pressure. Moreover, prostasin has been found to suppress hyperglycaemia (high blood sugar)-induced tumour growth and is associated with glucose metabolism. However, little is known about the link between prostasin, diabetes, and cancer mortality.