SSB Consumption Allegedly Associated with Type I Endometrial Cancer
A recent study funded by the National Cancer Institute has allegedly linked higher intakes of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) to an increased risk of type I endometrial cancer. Maki Inoue-Choi, et al., “Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Intake and the Risk of Type I and Type II Endometrial Cancer among Postmenopausal Women,” Cancer, Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, December 2013. After evaluating the dietary intake of 23,039 postmenopausal women enrolled in the Iowa Women’s Health Study, University of Minnesota researchers apparently found that compared with women who did not consume SSBs, those in the highest quintile of SSB intake had a 78 percent increased risk of developing type I endometrial cancer while those who reported at least some SSB consumption had “a statistically significant 47 [percent] higher risk.”
The study’s authors also noted in a December 4, 2013, press release that “previous studies have shown increasing consumption of sugar sweetened beverages has paralleled the increase in obesity,” a purported risk factor for endometrial cancer. The data also apparently suggested that SSB consumption “may increase the risk of type I endometrial cancer independent of its role in weight status, consistent with other studies examining insulin-raising potential of the diet and endometrial cancer.”
“The list of potential unhealthy effects from sugar sweetened soft drink consumption is growing,” said one of the study’s authors. “Since they have no health benefit, it would be prudent to avoid these beverages.”
Issue 506
