Women drinking sugary beverages daily faced nearly triple the stomach cancer risk.
Sugary drink lovers may be in for a shock, as a new U.S. study suggests that drinking at least one sugary beverage every day may double the risk of developing stomach cancer, raising fresh questions about the health risks of regular sugary drink consumption.
The study followed more than 112,000 people over several decades. Researchers found that people who consumed at least one sugar-sweetened drink each day had about twice the risk of stomach cancer compared with those who drank fewer than one sugary beverage a month.
The study is among the first to examine a possible connection between sugary drinks and stomach cancer in a U.S. population. Earlier research has linked sugar-sweetened beverages to a higher risk of colorectal, breast and liver cancers, but their relationship with stomach cancer has been less clear.
“Gastric cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer death worldwide,” Andrew Chan, an author of the study, said. He added that researchers have known relatively little about how diet may affect the risk of developing the disease.
During the study period, 278 participants developed stomach cancer. The higher risk was found among both men and women who regularly consumed sugary drinks. Researchers found that fructose was the most common sweetener in many of the beverages consumed by participants. Higher fructose intake was also linked to an increased risk of stomach cancer.
The association appeared particularly strong among women. Women who drank more including drinks such as punch, lemonade and sports beverages, had nearly three times the risk of stomach cancer compared with women who rarely consumed these drinks.
However, the study found no similar increase in risk among people who regularly consumed artificially sweetened or low-calorie carbonated beverages.
Researchers also examined the possible role of Helicobacter pylori, a type of bacteria known to increase the risk of stomach cancer. The researchers stressed that the findings do not prove that sugary drinks directly cause stomach cancer.
