Study linked sugary drinks to increased colon cancer risk

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Drinking too many sugary drinks in adolescence and young adulthood could increase the risk of developing colorectal cancer.
• A new study revealed that this could be the reason for the rapid increase in early-onset colorectal cancer in women.
• The study involved more than 116,500 female registered nurses as participants.

New research reveals that young adults who drink too many sugary drinks may be at an increased risk of developing colon cancer.

Published in the journal Gut on May 6, the study involved 116,500 female nurses from 1991 to 2015. Findings found that participants who consumed two or more sugary beverages per day had more than twice the risk of developing early-onset colorectal cancer compared with women who drank less than one 8-ounce serving per week.

According to the American Cancer Society, lifestyle factors that increased the risk for colorectal cancer include alcohol drinking, obesity, inactive lifestyle, smoking and high-fat diets.

Factors that cannot be controlled are age, medical history of colorectal polyps or cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, several inherited syndromes and family history, including Type 2 diabetes.

Researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis discovered a 16% increase in risk for each 8-ounce serving of sugary drink added per day. In ages 13 to 18, each serving was linked to a 32% increased risk of eventually developing colorectal cancer before age 50. 

“Colorectal cancer in younger adults remains relatively rare, but the fact that the rates have been increasing over the past three decades – and we don’t understand why – is a major public health concern and a priority in cancer prevention,” Yin Cao, ScD, an associate professor of surgery and of medicine in the Division of Public Health Sciences at Washington University, and senior study author, said.

The professor added that because of “the increase in colorectal cancer at younger ages, the average age of colorectal cancer diagnosis has gown down from 72 to 66 years. These cancers are more advanced at diagnosis and have different characteristics compared with cancers from older populations.” 

The research team found a total of 109 diagnoses of early-onset colorectal cancer among the nearly 116,500 participants. Despite the small number of cases, Cao noted that there is “still a strong signal” to suggest that sugar intake, especially earlier in life, is playing a role in increasing cancer rates. 

“This study, combined with our past work linking obesity and metabolic conditions to a higher risk of early-onset colorectal cancer, suggests that metabolic problems, such as insulin resistance, may play an important role in the development of this cancer in younger adults,” Cao said. 

Source: Fox News