Research
Hormonal
The PI3K-Akt-mTOR signaling pathway is a key mechanism linking obesity and diabetes to cancer, as it is sensitive to nutrient status and cell energy states.
Understanding that high insulin and nutrient levels activate cancer-promoting pathways highlights why maintaining healthy weight and blood sugar is crucial for cancer prevention.
StrongSupportsHIGH confidence
PI3K-Akt-mTOR is perhaps the most intriguing signaling pathway underpinning the effects of obesity and diabetes on cancer risk... This pathway is one of the most commonly activated in cancer... mTOR is sensitive to the nutrient status surrounding the cell, such high-energy states (e.g., obesity and hyperinsulinemia), which activate mTOR via Akt, and low-energy states (e.g., caloric restriction and exercise), which inhibit mTOR via 5’ AMP- activated protein kinase (AMPK).
Why this rating
Based on preclinical models and established molecular biology.
Source
The Triple Health Threat of Diabetes, Obesity, and Cancer—Epidemiology, Disparities, Mechanisms, and Interventions
Justin C. Brown et al. · Obesity · 2021
DOI 10.1002/oby.23161
narrative_reviewCited 36×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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