Colon cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in the Netherlands. Every year 13,000 people are diagnosed with colon cancer. Previous research has shown a link between the intake of sugary soft drinks during adolescence and the development of colon polyps and colon cancer later in life. Using data from the Maastricht Study and a large international cohort of more than 100,000 participants, researchers from Maastricht UMC+ in collaboration with The Institute of Cancer Research in London have found a link between an inborn change in the processing of fruit sugar. and the development of colon cancer.
Causality
Lead researcher Professor Martijn Brouwers explains: “It is often a challenge to demonstrate a causal relationship in nutritional research. People who drink soft drinks often also have other unhealthy lifestyle habits, which could also explain the link with colorectal cancer. By studying people who, because of because of a hereditary predisposition to process fruit sugar less well in the body, we can look very specifically at the role of fruit sugar in the development of colorectal cancer.Our findings therefore point even more in the direction of an actual causal relationship between the intake of fruit sugar and the development of colon cancer.”
Sugar tax
These results support the current plans of the government to introduce a sugar tax. Martijn Brouwers: “Consumption of fruit sugar is high in Western society, especially among adolescents, because fruit sugar is added to processed foods, such as soft drinks. It is therefore important to limit the intake of these types of sugars in processed foods as much as possible to prevent health problems. later in life. Introducing a sugar tax – which has already proved its worth in other countries – is one way to achieve that.”
By: National Care Guide
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