Daily sugary drinks linked to higher stomach cancer risk, study finds

A new study found that daily consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages was associated with a higher risk of developing stomach cancer, while researchers did not find a similar association with artificially sweetened drinks.

The study analyzed data from 112,284 participants in two large U.S. health cohorts. During the follow-up period, 278 participants developed gastric cancer.

Researchers found that people who consumed sugar-sweetened beverages daily had a 2.45 times higher likelihood of developing stomach cancer compared with those who consumed less than one serving per month. Among participants in the Nurses’ Health Study, drinking more than one sugary beverage per day was associated with a 3.04 times higher risk.

The researchers also found an association between higher fructose intake and stomach cancer risk. However, they emphasized that the study was observational and cannot establish that sugary drinks cause stomach cancer. The research also had limitations, including limited information about Helicobacter pylori infection and family history of gastric cancer.