Researchers Allege “Modest Positive Association” Between Soda Consumption and Risk of Pancreatic Cancer

A recent pooled analysis from 14 prospective cohort studies has reportedly confirmed “a suggestive, modest positive association” between sugar-sweetened carbonated beverage (SSB) consumption and increased pancreatic cancer risk. Jeanine Genkinger, et al., “Coffee, Tea and Sugar-Sweetened Carbonated Soft Drink Intake and Pancreatic Cancer Risk: A Pooled Analysis of 14 Cohort Studies,” Cancer, Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, February 2012. After examining data from 317,827 men and 536,066 women, the study purportedly found that (i) “coffee consumption was not associated with pancreatic cancer risk overall”; (ii) “no statistically significant association was observed between tea intake and pancreatic cancer”; and, (iii) for modest intakes of SSBs, “there was a suggestive and slightly positive association . . .  which reached statistical significance in certain subgroups of participants (e.g., nondiabetics, nondrinkers of alcohol).” These results evidently confirmed one Japanese cohort study as well as the Singapore Chinese Health Study covered in Issue 337 of this Update.

According to the February 2012 analysis, which noted having to compensate for the small number of cases “who consumed at least 355 g (~12 oz) of SSBs” per day, its findings were nevertheless “consistent with the idea that factors that raise insulin and glucose levels, and promote obesity and diabetes, such as SSBs, may be positively associated with pancreatic cancer risk, particularly in certain ‘low risk’ subgroups (e.g., normal weight, nondrinkers) . . . Thus, these results are in accordance with the WCRF/AICR [World Cancer Research Fund/ American Institute for Cancer Research] recommendation to limit consumption of SSBs.”