WASHINGTON: Daily consumption of sugary drinks may more than double the risk of developing stomach cancer, particularly raising concerns over the growing incidence of the disease among younger adults, according to a new US study.
Stomach cancer is the fifth most common type of cancer worldwide and ranks third among cancer-related causes of death. Smoking, inflammation of the stomach and obesity are among the known risk factors.
The disease has increasingly been reported among people under 50, despite traditionally being associated with older adults. Researchers from Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute examined whether dietary habits, particularly consumption of sugary beverages, could be contributing to the trend.
The study analysed medical and dietary data from more than 112,000 people. Researchers also considered participants’ body weight, physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption, medication use and other health conditions.
Participants were followed for several decades, allowing researchers to assess potential links between sugary beverage consumption and the development of cancer.
During the study period, 278 participants were diagnosed with stomach cancer.
Researchers found that people who consumed about one sugary drink a day had more than twice the risk of developing stomach cancer compared with those who consumed fewer such beverages.
The researchers said the findings add to previous evidence linking sugary drinks with other cancers, including colorectal, breast and liver cancers.
They noted that stomach cancer causes a significant number of deaths worldwide, but relatively little is known about the role of diet in its development.
Stomach cancer can develop in different parts of the stomach and becomes considerably more difficult to treat once it reaches an advanced stage.
The researchers cautioned that the findings have limitations and that further studies are needed to establish whether sugary drinks directly contribute to stomach cancer.
The study was published in the journal Gastro Hep Advances.