According to new research presented at the annual meeting of American Society for Nutritiondrinking at least one sugary drink a day should be associated with a significantly higher risk of liver cancer.
Researchers from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University, as well as other institutions, have looked at data from 90,504 women between the ages of 50 and 79, all of whom have completed menopause, writes Business Insider.
They wanted to find out if there was a pattern between consuming sugary drinks and the risk of liver cancer.
78 percent higher risk
The study showed that women who drank one or more sugary drinks a day had a 78 percent higher risk of liver cancer, compared with those who drank less than three a month.
Of the 90,504 women, about seven percent drank more than one sugar drink per day.
“Our findings suggest that sugar beverages are a potentially modifiable risk factor for liver cancer,” said Dr. Xuehong Zhang, senior author, cancer epidemiologist and professor at the Department of Nutrition at Harvard.
“If our findings are confirmed, the reduction of sugary drinks could serve as a public health strategy to reduce liver cancer,” Zhang added, quoted by the news-oriented magazine U.S. News & World Reports.
Soda kills more than 180,000 people every year
The researchers point out in the study that the findings can not prove that sugar drinks such as soft drinks and juices cause liver cancer, but that it turns out to be a clear connection.
US News & World Reports points out that studies presented at medical meetings, such as the aforementioned American Society for Nutrition, are considered preliminary until they are published in a peer-reviewed journal.
The women were followed for 18 years
The 90,504 women who participated in the study filled out questionnaires in the mid-1990s and have been followed for about 18 years.
205 women developed liver cancer during follow-up.
It is a known fact that sugary drinks lead to an increased risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Both are risk factors for liver cancer.
Drinks that contain sugar also contribute to a weakened response to insulin and to the accumulation of fat in the liver.
Alarms about weekend drinking
The lead author of the study and doctoral candidate at the University of South Carolina, Long-Gang Zhao, says in a press release that sugary drinks can disrupt insulin sensitivity and cause a number of health problems.
– Replacing sugar drinks with water, and unsweetened coffee or tea, can significantly reduce the risk of liver cancer.
May be an indicator of unhealthy lifestyle
Dr. Xuehong Zhang points out that the study should be conducted several times to check if the findings are repeated.
– This type of study makes it difficult for us to determine whether sugar beverages cause an increased incidence of liver cancer, or whether the consumption of sugary drinks is only an indicator of an unhealthy lifestyle.
Heavy drink 1.5 liters of soda – dead
Dr. Arif Kamal, head of the American Cancer Society, points out that the study’s findings are exciting, but that further research is needed.
– It is necessary to do more research on this to understand whether a connection with cancer may be due to changes in the liver from obesity, or whether it is independent of body mass index.
Contributes to obesity and overweight
Samantha Heller, clinical nutritionist at NYU Langone Health in New York City, questions the lifestyle of people who drink at least one sugar beverage a day.
– Are these people more likely to consume less fiber, less fruit and vegetables, that they eat more processed meat, junk and fast food, and less likely to exercise?
Alarming findings
She points out, according to US News & World Reports, that there is a big gap between consuming one or more sugar drinks daily, compared to three units a month.
– All this said – soft drinks, fruit drinks and other sugary drinks have no nutritional value. They contribute to obesity, obesity, and several associated chronic diseases, says Heller.
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