MINNEAPOLIS—Consuming two or more soft drinks per week nearly doubled the risk of developing pancreatic cancer compared to individuals who did not consume soft drinks, according to a new study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
Researchers followed 60,524 men and women in the Singapore Chinese Health Study for 14 years. During that time, there were 140 pancreatic cancer cases. Those who consumed two or more soft drinks per week (averaging five per week) had an 87-percent increased risk compared with individuals who did not. No association was seen between fruit juice consumption and pancreatic cancer.
"The high levels of sugar in soft drinks may be increasing the level of insulin in the body, which we think contributes to pancreatic cancer cell growth," said Mark Pereira, Ph.D., senior author and associate professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota.
