Do sugary drinks cause cancer?

 Do sugary drinks cause cancer?

Scientists from France say that sugary drinks including soda drinks and fruit juices can cause cancer.

In this study, published in the British Medical Journal, 100,000 people were evaluated for five years.

A research team from the Sorbonne Paris University has speculated that the cause can be attributed to blood sugar levels. However, this research cannot be termed as conclusive and experts have been asked to investigate it further.

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What is the definition of sugary drinks?

According to the researchers, any beverage with more than five percent sugar (sweetness) is defined as a sweetened beverage, and that includes natural fruit juices, soft drinks, sweetened milkshakes, energy drinks, and sugar-sweetened tea and coffee. included.

The research team also looked at diet drinks that use zero-calorie artificial sweeteners, but found no sign of an increased cancer risk.

How big is the risk of cancer?

According to this study, drinking two cans of sugary drinks a week or an extra 100ml of sugary drinks a day increases the risk of developing cancer by 18%.

Research has revealed that out of every 1,000 people who did this, 22 people were suffering from cancer.

So if all these people had consumed 100ml of extra sugary drinks, the results would have increased by four more people, from 22 to 26 people over five years, according to the researchers.

Dr. Graham Wheeler of the Kesner Research Center in the UK said, 'It is assumed that there is an unconventional relationship between Kesner's disease and the consumption of sugary drinks that needs further research.'

Is there any conclusive evidence of this?

No, the way this research is done can only identify trends in the data, not explain them.

So this study shows that people who consume more sugary drinks i.e. 185 ml per day have more cancer than those who consume less than 30 ml per day.

One possible explanation could be that sugary drinks are causing cancer.

But at the same time, people who consumed more sugary drinks did not have good eating habits as they consumed more food as well as more salt. Which doesn't add much strength to the link between sugary drink consumption and cancer.

So the research results cannot say that sugary drinks cause cancer.

Dr Amelia, from the University of Teesside, said: 'While this research cannot definitively establish a link between sugary drinks and cancer, it does highlight the importance of the recent campaign to reduce sugar intake. can play an important role.'

He further said that 'reducing the consumption of sweets in our diet is extremely important.'

Is it just obesity?

Obesity is a major cause of cancer and excessive consumption of sugary drinks contributes to weight gain. However, according to research, this is not the complete picture.

Dr Mathilda Tower, one of the researchers who led the study, told the BBC: 'Weight gain and obesity from high consumption of sugary drinks is definitely linked to Kesner, but the research has not fully explained the link.'

What's going on now?

The researchers say this is 'clearly associated with sweets' and they attribute this to blood sugar levels.

He has also said that some chemicals included in certain drinks such as colors that make these drinks absorbent can also be the cause.

However, this question was not answered in this study.

"I don't see any similarity in the biological possibility that weight gain is unrelated to diabetes, which is often cited as a risk factor," said Catherine Collins, a dietitian at the UK's National Health Services.

What do the researchers say?

The research team at the Sorbonne Paris-Site University says that larger studies are needed to confirm these findings.

They say their research reinforces that taxing sugary drinks is a good idea.

According to their research, 'this data is consistent with current nutritional recommendations to limit consumption of sweetened beverages, including 100% fruit juice, as well as tax and marketing restrictions targeting these beverages. '

The UK introduced a sugar tax in 2018, which has caused manufacturers to pay a surcharge on the more sugary drinks they produce.

What do beverage companies have to say?

The British Soft Drinks Association said the research 'does not provide strong evidence for the reasons that its authors immediately deduced from it.'

Gavin Partington, director general of this association, added that 'soft drinks are safe to consume in a balanced diet.'

The soft drinks industry recognizes that it has an important role to play in helping to tackle obesity, so we've gone the route of reducing calories and sweeteners.'