Daily Soda Drinkers Face More Than Double the Risk of Stomach Cancer, Study Finds
People who drink at least one sugar-sweetened beverage per day are more than twice as likely to develop stomach cancer compared to those who rarely consume them, according to a study published in Gastro Hep Advances. Researchers from Mass General Brigham analyzed data from more than 100,000 participants over several decades. Women who drank sugary beverages daily showed roughly three times the risk, while men showed about twice the risk.
Drinking at least one sugar-sweetened beverage per day is associated with more than double the risk of developing stomach cancer, according to a study published in the journal Gastro Hep Advances.
Researchers from the Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute analyzed decades of data from more than 100,000 participants in the Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. The study is the first to identify this association in a US population.
People who consumed at least one 8-ounce serving of a sugary drink daily were 2.45 times more likely to develop gastric cancer than those who rarely drank them. The risk varied by gender: women who drank sugary beverages daily showed roughly a three-fold increase in risk, while men showed about twice the risk.
The study found no increased risk from artificially sweetened, low-calorie beverages.
Researchers identified fructose as the primary sweetener in the drinks studied, which included regular sodas, fruit punches, lemonades, and sports drinks. Higher fructose intake correlated with greater cancer risk. Potential mechanisms include weight gain, insulin resistance, inflammation, and DNA damage, though the exact biological pathway has not been confirmed.
The study was observational, meaning it establishes a correlation rather than direct causation. Limitations include incomplete data on Helicobacter pylori infection, a known stomach cancer risk factor, and a study population that was predominantly White.
Stomach cancer is the fifth most common cancer worldwide. The findings add to a growing body of evidence linking sugary drink consumption to serious health outcomes beyond obesity and diabetes.
