Photo: Catherine Falls Commercial / Moment / Getty Images
Drinking at least one sugary beverage each day may nearly triple the risk of developing gastric cancer, according to new research from the Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute. The findings, which were published in the journal Gastro Hep Advances, are based on data from 112,284 U.S. adults tracked over several decades in the Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study.
Researchers found that participants who consumed one or more sugar-sweetened beverages per day had a 2.45-fold higher risk of gastric cancer compared to those drinking less than one serving per month. The study defined sugar-sweetened beverages as regular carbonated drinks, punch, lemonade, and sports drinks. In contrast, artificially sweetened drinks did not show a similar increase in risk. Higher intake of fructose, the main sweetener in these drinks, was also linked to greater incidence of gastric cancer.
Senior author Dr. Andrew T. Chan, a gastroenterologist and epidemiologist at Mass General Brigham, said, "This is the first study to demonstrate an association between sugar-sweetened beverage intake and gastric cancer in a U.S. population." He noted that gastric cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer death worldwide but that little has been known about how diet may contribute to its development.
The researchers also looked at other factors that could affect gastric cancer risk, such as Helicobacter pylori infection and family history. They found no link between sugary drink intake and H. pylori infection, but did note that most participants in the study were white, meaning further research is needed to see if the findings apply to other groups. The study’s observational design means it cannot prove that sugary drinks cause gastric cancer, as there may be other reasons for the higher cancer rates in people who drink these beverages frequently.
About 65% of U.S. adults report having at least one sugar-sweetened beverage each day, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data. Researchers suggest that more studies should be done to confirm these results and to understand why sugary drinks might increase the risk of gastric cancer. For more information, visit the Mass General Brigham website.