A prostate cancer diagnosis can raise many questions about how it may affect your overall health — including your risk of developing other conditions. You may wonder whether the disease itself or its treatments could increase your risk of conditions such as diabetes (a disease that affects how the body controls blood glucose, or sugar).

Research suggests there may be a connection between prostate cancer and a higher risk of diabetes, particularly for people living with prostate cancer who receive certain treatments, such as hormone therapy (also called androgen deprivation therapy, or ADT). Understanding how prostate cancer and diabetes may be linked can help you identify possible risk factors, talk with your doctor about ways to lower your risk, and make informed decisions about your care.

In this article, we’ll explore what the research says about the relationship between prostate cancer and diabetes risk, why the connection may exist, and what steps you can take to protect your health.

Can Prostate Cancer Increase Your Risk of Diabetes?

Research has not found a clear link showing that prostate cancer itself raises the risk of type 2 diabetes. In other words, having prostate cancer alone doesn’t necessarily increase your risk. Instead, some treatment options for prostate cancer may influence diabetes risk. Because prostate cancer often grows slowly, not everyone living with the condition will receive treatment right away. Your healthcare provider may recommend a wait-and-see approach, also called active surveillance or watchful waiting.

One team of researchers recently looked at insulin sensitivity (how well the body processes sugar) in individuals who were recently diagnosed with prostate cancer but weren’t receiving treatment. They found that fasting blood glucose levels were slightly higher in those with prostate cancer. Researchers also discovered that the study participants had more insulin resistance (a reduced ability for the body to use blood glucose for energy).

While this study shows that individuals with prostate cancer may have a different metabolic makeup than those without cancer, it doesn’t mean that prostate cancer directly causes diabetes.

A 2025 cohort study in the Journal of Cancer Survivorship observed more than 2,600 men with prostate cancer and more than 9,300 men without prostate cancer. Researchers found that those with prostate cancer didn’t have a higher risk of diabetes than those without. However, researchers did discover that certain risk factors increased the risk of diabetes in both groups, including:

• Waist circumference
• Body mass index (BMI) — A measure that estimates body fat based on a person’s height and weight
• Obesity
• Age
• Lifestyle — Daily habits such as diet, physical activity, sleep, and tobacco or alcohol use

How Does Androgen Deprivation Therapy Play a Role in Diabetes Risk?

Androgens are sex hormones, including testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT). These hormones can help prostate cancer cells grow. Healthcare providers may use androgen deprivation therapy to lower androgen levels or block their effects so they can’t fuel tumor growth.

Some research suggests ADT could increase the risk of diabetes, but the connection isn’t fully understood. Here’s what researchers have discovered about the risk of developing diabetes from ADT.

Increased Diabetes Risk

A 2022 meta-analysis of more than 330,000 individuals with prostate cancer receiving ADT found that the treatment was associated with about a 25 percent higher risk of developing diabetes and a 30 percent higher risk of hypertension (high blood pressure).

A 2024 study found that after 24 weeks of ADT, participants did not develop diabetes during the study period, but they gained about 8 pounds of fat mass (body fat). Higher body fat can increase insulin resistance, which is a known risk factor for type 2 diabetes.

Worsening of Preexisting Diabetes

If you already have diabetes and begin ADT, you may have a higher risk of diabetes-related complications. One study found that people receiving ADT had about a 12 percent greater risk of complications, including:

• Neuropathy — Nerve damage that can cause pain, tingling, or numbness (often in the hands or feet)
• Cataracts — Clouding of the eye’s lens that affects vision
• Retinopathy — Damage to blood vessels in the retina (the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye)
• Amputation — Removal of part of a limb, usually related to severe diabetes complications

You may also find it harder to keep your blood sugar within your target range, especially if diabetes is not well managed or if treatment changes affect metabolism.

Do Other Prostate Cancer Treatments Raise Diabetes Risk?

Sometimes prostate cancer is treated with abiraterone (a hormone therapy that blocks the body from making androgens). It’s typically given alongside a corticosteroid such as prednisone. This treatment is often used for advanced or metastatic prostate cancer (cancer that has spread to other parts of the body) or when other treatments are not suitable.

Some case reports and small studies suggest that taking these two medications may lead to changes in blood sugar levels, especially in people who already have diabetes. For example, a 2025 case study described a 77-year-old man with diabetes whose blood sugar rose to very high levels after starting treatment with abiraterone and prednisone.

Other researchers have also reported that this treatment combination may increase the risk of severe high blood sugar or ketosis (a condition in which the body produces high levels of ketones because it does not have enough insulin to use glucose properly).

It’s difficult to determine whether abiraterone, prednisone, or the combination of both medications caused these blood sugar changes. However, steroids such as prednisone are known to raise blood sugar levels in some people. Abiraterone may also affect blood sugar regulation and has been linked in rare cases to severe hypoglycemia (dangerously low blood sugar) in people with diabetes.

Because these reports come from individual cases rather than large studies, more research is needed to understand how often abiraterone and prednisone affect blood sugar levels or diabetes risk. If you are taking these medications, your healthcare provider may recommend regular blood sugar monitoring to help manage any changes early.

Does Diabetes Increase Your Risk of Prostate Cancer?

On the flip side, several studies have found that having diabetes doesn’t appear to increase the risk of prostate cancer. In fact, some research suggests it may be linked to a slightly lower risk. One meta-analysis found that men with diabetes had a reduced risk of prostate cancer compared with those without diabetes.

Another study in the British Journal of Cancer also reported that men with diabetes were less likely to develop prostate cancer than men without diabetes.

Researchers are still studying why this relationship exists, because the connection between diabetes and prostate cancer risk isn’t fully understood.

Some research suggests that long-term use of metformin — a medication commonly prescribed to help control blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes — may be associated with a lower prostate cancer incidence (rate of new cases). However, evidence on this topic is still limited, and more research is needed to understand whether metformin truly affects prostate cancer risk.

How Can You Monitor Your Diabetes Risk With Prostate Cancer?

Given that there may be an increased risk of diabetes from prostate cancer treatment, your healthcare provider may monitor your blood glucose levels as you go through treatment. They may order tests such as:

• Fasting blood glucose — A blood test taken after you haven’t eaten for several hours
• Two-hour oral glucose tolerance test — Measures blood sugar before and after you drink a glucose solution
• Random blood glucose test — Checks blood sugar at any time, often if you have symptoms of diabetes
• Hemoglobin A1c test — Shows your average blood sugar level over the past two to three months

There are also lifestyle habits that may help lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. To reduce your risk, you can:

• Get more physical activity.
• Incorporate resistance training (strength exercises such as weightlifting or body weight workouts) into your routine.
• Drink more water.
• Include more plant-based protein foods — such as nuts, beans, and lentils — and fiber in your diet.
• Take medications as prescribed by your healthcare provider.
• Limit foods high in added sugars and sugary drinks.

If you’ve been diagnosed with prostate cancer and are concerned about your diabetes risk — or about managing diabetes you already have — talk with your healthcare provider. They can help monitor your blood sugar, adjust treatments if needed, and recommend strategies to help protect your long-term health.

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