Daily Sugar Drinks Linked to Higher Gastric Cancer Risk in 30-Year Study

A new study spanning three decades and involving over 112,000 participants in the United States has raised alarms about the potential link between daily sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and gastric cancer. Researchers found that individuals who drank at least one such beverage per day faced a 2.45 times higher risk of developing the disease compared to those who abstained.

Published in the journal Gastro Hep Advances, the findings are particularly significant as gastric cancer remains the fifth leading cause of cancer death globally, yet the role of diet in its development is still not fully understood. "This is the first study to demonstrate an association between sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and gastric cancer in a U.S. population," stated lead author Andrew T. Chan, a gastroenterologist at Massachusetts General Hospital.

The research analyzed data from the Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, tracking participants from 1986 to 2022. During this period, 278 cases of gastric cancer were documented. The study categorized sugar-sweetened drinks to include sodas, punches, lemonades, and sports drinks. The elevated risk was observed consistently, even after accounting for other potential risk factors.

Interestingly, the increased risk was present in both sexes. Women who consumed at least one sugar-sweetened beverage daily had approximately three times the risk of gastric cancer, while men had about double the risk. The study did not find a similar association with artificially sweetened beverages, offering a potential distinction in health impacts.

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This is the first study to demonstrate an association between sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and gastric cancer in a U.S. population.