Alice RD
A new study on cancer risk offers one more reason to avoid sugary sodas: A possible link between soft drink consumption and pancreatic cancer.
Read about this study on the AICR website: In the News: Soda Consumption Linked to Pancreatic Cancer
Sugary drinks have already been linked to obesity and body fatness is a cause of pancreatic cancer according to AICR’s expert report.
But this study looked at the effect of sodas on risk of pancreatic cancer and found that two or more sodas per week increased risk independently of BMI. The authors do acknowledge the difficulty of separating soda consumption from other health habits that increase risk of pancreatic cancer, such as cigarette smoking. And some other research has not found the pancreatic cancer and soda link, so more studies are needed.
The bottom line is that AICR’s recommendation to avoid sugary drinks for cancer prevention is already supported by convincing evidence.
And fewer sugary drinks leave room to get calories from healthier foods such as vegetables, fruit and whole grains. A healthy diet with those plant foods, along with regular physical activity and staying at a healthy weight, offers protection against a number of cancers.
