Young boy with a drink in a glass (Image: Getty)
Young people who drink just two glasses of fizzy drinks a day could be more than twice as likely to develop bowel cancer before the age of 50, according to a new study. Research suggests that consuming one small can or eight fluid ounces per day can increase the risk by 16 percent, and that jumps to 33 percent during adolescence.
This includes all types of carbonated drinks – from soda to sports drinks.
This related finding may be contributing to the alarming rise in early-onset colorectal cancer – a type of cancer which is the second deadliest in Britain. It’s worth noting that the average Brit consumes almost a can of fizz every day.
In response to these findings, lead author Dr. Yin Cao on targeted initiatives to curb such consumption among young people, saying, “This can serve as a potential strategy to alleviate the growing burden.”
Interestingly, the study found that replacing a sugary fizzy drink with artificially sweetened beverages, coffee, or semi-skimmed or whole milk reduced the risk by 17 to 36 percent. The discovery comes from tracking the eating habits of 95,464 nurses in the United States who were between the ages of 25 and 42, reports Wales Online.
Over a nearly 24-year period beginning in 1991, these women reported their food and beverage consumption every four years using validated questionnaires. In addition, 41,272 participants also recorded what they consumed between the ages of 13 and 18.
Unsurprisingly, during the study, 109 participants were diagnosed with bowel cancer before the age of 50. The researchers found that their higher incidence was directly apparent with regular intake of fizzy drinks.
In the study, the researchers took into account other factors such as the health status, lifestyle and body mass index (BMI) of their teenage subjects. The research also took into account the use of aspirin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or vitamin supplements and a family history of the disease.
Dr Cao, of Washington University in St Louis, said: “These drinks continue to grow in popularity – particularly among teenagers and young adults.”
The study, published in the journal Gut, is groundbreaking in the link between sugary drinks and an increased risk of bowel cancer in adulthood. Over the past twenty years, the number of early-onset colorectal cancers has increased, but the cause remains unknown.
The international team further expanded on the idea that there are “biologically plausible explanations” that support the results obtained from the study. Since sugary drinks often suppress feelings of fullness, excessive consumption can subsequently lead to weight gain.
Various experiments have found that simple sugar-laden drinks trigger rapid increases in blood glucose and insulin secretion, which can pave the way for inflammation, obesity, and diabetes 2. Additionally, growing research suggests that additives such as glucose and high-fructose corn syrup , which are usually found in fizzy drinks, can stimulate the growth of intestinal tumors.
In recent studies, it has been shown that these types of drinks weaken the intestinal barrier and thus allow the creation of an environment for the growth of tumors. In the United States, people in their twenties and thirties face a dangerously higher risk of bowel cancer, four times that of those born around 1950.
Disgustingly, the primary source of added sugars in the American diet comes from fizzy drinks, which make up an alarming 39 percent. And shockingly, 12% of the population drinks more than three 8 fl oz servings per day.
Dr Cao revealed: “A recent study showed that mice treated with high fructose corn syrup had significant colon tumor growth with an aggressive grade. This was independent of obesity and metabolic syndrome – providing further support for the link between sugar-sweetened beverages and colon cancer and anus.” risk.”
Corn syrup, a combination of glucose and fructose, is often used as a sweetener in American drinks, while in the UK cane sugar, which has similar glucose to fructose ratios, is usually used.
Notably, excessive consumption has already been linked to an increased risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Dr Cao added: “Given the well-established adverse health consequences and the highest consumption characteristic of adolescents and young adults under 50 years of age, our findings reinforce the public health importance of intake restriction for improved outcomes.”
But the research mostly involved white women, so the results may not apply to men or other ethnic and racial groups, she noted. Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK, claiming more than 16,000 lives each year.