Here’s another reason for people to think twice before grabbing that soda: New findings suggest that sugary drinks could raise the risk of dying from cancer.
Americans are known for consuming more sugar than what’s recommended.
“Sugar-filled drinks are tied to weight gain and obesity, and many Americans are having too much,” says Marjorie McCullough from the American Cancer Society.
This new study focuses on the link between these beverages and cancer deaths.
Study Details
Researchers used data from a large-scale cancer study, which began in 1982. They collected information on drink habits from over 934,000 people who didn’t have cancer. They kept track of these participants until 2016.
By the end of the study period, over 135,000 people from the group had died from cancer.
While drinking a lot of sugary drinks wasn’t directly tied to an overall higher chance of dying from any cancer, it was linked to a higher risk of certain obesity-related cancers.
However, when the team considered the body weight of the participants, this connection faded.
Two specific cancers stood out: colon and kidney. People who drank more sugary beverages had a higher chance of dying from these cancers, even after considering their body weight.
Those who had drinks with artificial sweeteners weren’t off the hook either. They had a higher risk of getting pancreatic cancer, regardless of their body weight.
The soft drink industry’s representative group, the American Beverage Association, didn’t give any feedback about this study.
Implications for the Future
The results of this study were shared in a journal called “Cancer, Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention” on Sept. 15.
McCullough emphasizes the importance of understanding how body weight might play a role in such studies in the future.
She believes that policymakers should use these findings to guide public health strategies. The goal? To lower cancer risks for everyone.
If you care about cancer, please see recent studies about new way to increase the longevity of cancer survivors, and results showing new way to supercharge cancer-fighting T cells.
For more information about health, please see recent studies about how drinking milk affects risks of heart disease and cancer and results showing that vitamin D supplements could strongly reduce cancer death.
The study was published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
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