Soft Drinks May Increase Risk of Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer is rare but deadly, with an estimated 5% of people who are diagnosed with it surviving five years or more.  Mark A. Pereira, from University of Minnesota (Minnesota, USA), and colleagues studied the effects of regular consumption of soft drinks, carbonated sugar-sweetened beverages, on the risk of developing pancreatic cancer.  The team followed 60,524 men and women enrolled in the Singapore Chinese Health Study for 14 years. They found that those subjects who consumed two or more soft drinks per week (averaging five per week) had an 87% increased risk of pancreatic cancer, as compared with individuals who did not drink that amount.   No association was seen between fruit juice consumption and pancreatic cancer. The researchers conclude that: “Regular consumption of soft drinks may play an independent role in the development of pancreatic cancer. “