KUALA LUMPUR, July 11 — Consuming sugary drinks is linked to a higher risk of getting cancers like breast, prostate, and bowel cancer, researchers in France found.
AFP reported that researchers — who surveyed over 100,000 adults and tracked their daily consumption of sugar, sugar-sweetened beverages and 100 per cent fruit juices for a maximum of nine years — discovered that an increase of consuming 100ml of sugary drinks was associated with an 18 per cent increase in the risk of cancer, with a 22 per cent increase in breast cancer.
The study found that the association with cancer was just as strong with fruit juices as it was with colas, according to the Guardian.
“When the group of sugary drinks was split into 100 per cent fruit juices and other sugary drinks, the consumption of both beverage types was associated with a higher risk of overall cancer,” said the study published in the BMJ.
The Guardian report noted that sugary drinks like colas and energy drinks have been associated with obesity, which is a cause of cancer, but the French researchers suggested other possible reasons sugar could trigger the disease.
The average age at cancer diagnosis was 59 years old.
According to the authors of the study, taxing sugary products could significantly affect cancer rates.
Graham Wheeler, who is a senior statistician of Cancer Research UK, was quoted saying: “This large, well-designed study adds to the existing evidence that consumption of sugary drinks may be associated with increased risk of some cancers.”
