Obesity and metabolic disease are risk factors for developing breast cancer; however, they are highly modifiable with lifestyle changes. Sugar-sweetened beverages are the leading contributor of added sugars in the American diet and consuming them in excess greatly increases the risk of developing obesity and type 2 diabetes. Results of a long-term study show that sugar-sweetened beverage consumption among women with breast cancer increases the risk of death from any cause.
As adipose tissue accumulates fat, it becomes dysfunctional and can contribute to breast cancer growth by reducing glucose sensitivity and producing hormonal (e.g., estrogen) and inflammatory (e.g., interleukin-6) pro-cancer signals. Sugar-sweetened beverages contribute to the development of obesity and diabetes by providing large quantities of empty calories and spiking blood glucose and insulin levels due to the rapid absorption of sugar. Although previous research has established the mechanisms by which sugar overconsumption encourages cancer growth, few studies have examined the long-term effects of sugar-sweetened beverage consumption on cancer survival.
The authors examined data from more than 10,000 participants of the Nurses' Health Study (1980-2010) and Nurses' Health Study II (1991-2011), large-scale prospective studies that collected information regarding health and lifestyle from female nurses. Participants completed food frequency questionnaires, which provide a list of specific foods and ask participants to report how often they have consumed that food over the past year, upon entrance to the study and every four years thereafter until 2015. The researchers reviewed only data collected following breast cancer diagnosis.
Compared to non-consumers, participants who consumed three or more 8-ounce servings of sugar-sweetened beverages per week experienced a 35 percent increased risk of death due to cancer and 28 percent increased risk of death due to any cause. Participants consuming between one and three servings per week experienced a 31 percent increased risk of cancer-related death and 21 percent increased risk of death due to any cause compared to non-consumers. The data revealed no association between breast cancer risk and the consumption of beverages sweetened with non-nutritive (i.e., artificial) sweeteners.
In this long-term follow-up study, sugar-sweetened beverage consumption increased the risk of death among women with breast cancer, especially in women consuming more than three servings per week.
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