Consuming one or more sugary drinks per day may nearly triple the risk of developing stomach cancer, according to a major study by Mass General Brigham.
The research, which analyzed data from over 100,000 participants in long-term health studies, found that daily consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages was associated with a 2.45 times higher risk of gastric cancer compared to drinking fewer than one serving per month.
Andrew T. Chan, a gastroenterologist and epidemiologist with the Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute, noted that the findings are concerning given the rising rates of gastrointestinal cancers, particularly among younger individuals. "Our increasing consumption of sugary drinks and also ultraprocessed foods is likely to be contributing to some of these cancer trends," Chan stated.
The study defined sugar-sweetened drinks as those sweetened primarily with fructose, including regular sodas, fruit punches, lemonade, and sports beverages. Higher intake of fructose was consistently linked to a greater risk of stomach cancer.
While previous research had indicated links between sugary drinks and other cancers, such as those of the liver, breast, and colon, their specific impact on gastric cancer remained less clear until this study. The research did not find a similar increased risk associated with artificially sweetened drinks, like diet sodas.
Researchers highlighted that the risk was even more pronounced for women who consumed more than one sugary drink daily, showing a more than threefold increase in gastric cancer rates. The study also examined a subset of participants for a link between sugary drink intake and Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium commonly associated with gastric cancer, finding no connection, which strengthens the hypothesis that sugar itself plays a significant role.
However, the study's authors acknowledged that the research was observational and therefore could only demonstrate correlation, not direct causation. They also noted that the participant pool was predominantly composed of White healthcare professionals, suggesting the need for further research to confirm these findings across more diverse populations.
"The study is unable to really prove cause and effect," Chan said. "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 findings were published in the journal Gastro Hep Advances.