Sugary drinks show links to cancer for women
Sugary Drinks Linked To Cancer Risk In Women
by Alice G. Walton
A new study out in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention reports that the more sugar-sweetened beverages a woman drinks, the greater her risk for endometrial cancer. This form of uterine cancer has long been linked to overweight and obesity, which can increase the body’s levels of insulin and estrogen. In fact, the new study, though not terribly surprising, showed that sugar consumption itself was linked to estrogen-dependent type I endometrial cancer, but not the less common estrogen-independent type II form.
The study followed over 23,000 women, asking them how frequently they consumed various foods and drinks over the past 12 months. The team was especially interested in sugar-sweetened sodas like Coke and Pepsi, both in their caffeinated and un-caffeinated forms; other sugary carbonated drinks, like 7-Up; and non-carbonated sugary drinks like Hawaiian Punch and lemonade. Sugar-free drinks included both low- or no-calorie caffeinated and caffeine-free cola (for example, Pepsi-Free and Diet 7-Up). The team was also interested in whether sweets and baked goods, and starchy foods, might also be connected to endometrial cancer risk.
Women who drank the most sugary drinks – more than four servings per week – had a 78% greater risk of developing estrogen-dependent type I endometrial cancer than women who drank none. Women who were older, had higher body mass index (BMI), a history of diabetes, later menopause, and any type of estrogen therapy also had a greater risk of developing endometrial cancer, which lines up with earlier research. But the connection between sugary drinks and estrogen-dependent endometrial cancer was there even regardless of body weight.
The authors say the results aren’t surprising, given the known connections, but they’re the first to spell out the links between sugar and endometrial cancer.
“Obese women tend to have higher levels of estrogens and insulin than women of normal weight,” said study author Maki Inoue-Choi in a statement. “Increased levels of estrogens and insulin are established risk factors for endometrial cancer.”
Interestingly, were no connections between sugar-free drinks, sweets/baked goods or starch consumption and cancer risk in this study. “One possibility is that sugar from whole foods comes with other nutrients, such as fiber,” Inoue-Choi told NBCNews. “Sugar from beverages doesn’t come with these nutrients.”
The study results lend more evidence to the connection between what we consume and our risk for disease. And eating excessive amounts of sugar has been linked not only to cancer, but to a host of other serious health problems as well.
“Research has documented the contribution of sugar-sweetened beverages to the obesity epidemic,” said Inoue-Choi. “Too much added sugar can boost a person’s overall calorie intake and may increase the risk of health conditions such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.”
Endometrial cancer occurs in the cells that form the lining of the uterus. There are other types of uterine cancer, but endometrial is the most common, affecting about 50,000 women per year in the U.S. Though it’s often caught early enough to be treated successfully, about 8,000 women die from it each year.
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posted by Amicitia a Verum at
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