Flavonoids and lignans may reduce the long‐term damaging effects of diabetes by improving insulin secretion, increasing glucose uptake and reducing insulin resistance,42 which could in turn reduce inflammation and oxidative stress induced by hyperglycaemia, and consequently reduce pancreatic cancer risk.43 We could not test this hypothesis due to limited number of participants with diabetes at recruitment who developed pancreatic cancer thereafter (n = 55). The gene discussed is INS; the disease is familial pancreatic carcinoma.