Sugary Drinks Linked to Higher Risk of Stomach Cancer

New research from Mass General Brigham suggests that consuming sugary drinks daily may substantially increase the risk of stomach cancer. After accounting for other risk factors, researchers discovered that drinking one or more sugary beverages per day nearly triples the likelihood of developing gastric cancer compared to consuming less than one serving per month.

According to CDC data, about 63% of U.S. adults consume sugar-sweetened beverages at least once daily. While previous studies indicated a connection between sugary drinks and increased cases of liver, breast, and colorectal cancers, their impact on gastric tissue was unclear until now.

The study analyzed data from over 100,000 participants in the Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. It found that individuals consuming at least one sugar-sweetened drink daily had a 2.45 times higher risk of developing gastric cancer than those drinking less than one per month.

These long-term prospective cohort studies, led by Harvard-linked researchers, examined links between lifestyle, diet, and chronic diseases among healthcare workers. Senior author Andrew T. Chan, a gastroenterologist and epidemiologist, noted that rising gastrointestinal cancers, especially in people under 50, may be linked to increased consumption of sugary and ultraprocessed foods.

“It’s definitely a concern because we are seeing an increase in cancers of the gastrointestinal tract,” Chan shared.

Gastric cancer is strongly connected to Helicobacter pylori, bacteria residing in the stomach lining. However, no link was found between sugary drink intake and H. pylori among a study subset, suggesting fructose in these drinks might contribute to cancer risk. Women’s risk was even higher, showing over threefold increases when consuming more than one sugary drink per day.

Researchers categorized sugar-sweetened drinks as regular sodas, fruit punches, lemonade, and sports beverages, where fructose is the primary sweetener. This study found artificially sweetened drinks, like diet sodas, showed no increased gastric cancer risk among participants. The results revealed consistency in higher cancer occurrences with increased fructose intake.

Notably, the study was observational and could only demonstrate correlation rather than causation. Participants primarily consisted of White healthcare professionals, meaning findings must be confirmed in diverse populations.

“The study is unable to really prove cause and effect,” Chan explained. “What we did see was an association. We certainly need to do more research to understand whether this association between sugary sweetened beverages and stomach cancer is truly causal.”

The study results were published in the journal Gastro Hep Advances.