A recent study conducted in the United States has established a link between the consumption of sugary drinks and the incidence of stomach cancer among the US population for the first time. The study analyzed data from 112,284 participants who were observed over decades, resulting in the identification of 278 cases of the disease.
According to the analysis published in the journal Gastro Hep Advances, individuals who consumed at least one serving of a sugary drink daily had a 2.45 times higher risk of developing stomach cancer compared to those who never consumed such drinks, after statistical adjustment for other potential risk factors. This result was similar among both men and women.
The study was performed by scientists such as Tae-Geun Gweon, Jane Ha, Hanseul Kim, Mengxi Du, Mingyang Song, and Andrew T. Chan, using data from the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS). Participants provided information about their lifestyle, diet, medical history, and health status throughout the observation period.
The authors emphasize that, to their knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate such a relationship between sugary drinks and stomach cancer incidence. Although previous works investigated this possibility, they failed to establish a clear correlation.
Carbonated drinks, punch, lemonade, and sports drinks were considered for the analysis. One serving was defined as 8 ounces or 237 ml. Consumption was divided into five categories, ranging from less than one serving per month to more than one serving per day.
Among the 112,284 participants in the final analysis, there were 68,311 women and 42,973 men. Over the observation period of 3,204,001 person-years, 278 cases of stomach cancer were registered: 140 in the NHS and 138 in the HPFS.
One distinguishing feature of this study was the comparison with drinks sweetened with artificial substitutes. In this case, the researchers found no link between their consumption and stomach cancer incidence after statistical adjustments.
Fructose consumption, the main sweetener used in sugary drinks, was also studied. A positive correlation was noted between total fructose consumption and cases of stomach cancer in both the general population and among women.
The difference between the two types of drinks itself does not allow for a definitive determination of the mechanism responsible for the finding. Researchers suggest possibilities such as weight gain, insulin resistance, hormonal imbalance, inflammation, DNA damage, and dysbiosis, but stress that the exact carcinogenic mechanism still requires further study.
Despite the discovered link, the authors point out significant limitations. Since the study is observational, it does not provide grounds to claim that consuming sugary drinks directly caused stomach cancer; other factors could have influenced the results. Furthermore, there was limited information regarding Helicobacter pylori infection, anatomical location of tumors, family history of stomach cancer, and upper gastrointestinal endoscopy history. It is also noted that participants were predominantly white and initially recruited between the ages of 30 and 75, which limited the analysis across racial and ethnic groups, as well as among young adults.
The scientists conclude that further research is necessary both to confirm the observed association and to understand the possible biological mechanisms underlying it.