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Senior
Health:
Is There a Connection Between Soft Drinks and Pancreatic Cancer?
By
Mia Smitt
Nurse Practitioner
Sacramento Family Medical Clinic
A
very interesting
study out of Singapore suggests that there may be a link between
the consumption of sugary soft drinks and the
development of pancreatic
cancer.
While it is recognized that people who consume more than two servings of soft
drinks daily may also have other poor lifestyle habits, this cancer association
is being seen as plausible according to findings published in the February 2010
issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
Soft drinks were defined as sugar-sweetened carbonated beverages. They have a
very high glycemic load as compared to other foods and beverages.
More than 230,000 people worldwide were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2002.
The yearly rates may be increasing. According to the American Cancer Society
(ACS), 42,470 Americans were diagnosed in 2009, with 35,240 deaths from pancreas
cancer. The projected statistics for 2010 are 43,140 diagnoses and 38,800 deaths.
A 55-percent increase is anticipated by 2030. Seventy-six percent of those diagnosed
will die within that first year. Only 5 percent will survive five years. And
these sobering statistics are in spite of a tremendous improvement in survival
rates since the 1970s.
Mark Pereira, Ph.D., from the University of Minnesota, and a team studied the
dietary habits of 60,524 men and women who participated in the Singapore Chinese
Health Study. Information about their consumption of soft drinks, juices, other
foods and drinks, as well as lifestyle and environmental exposures was gathered
through interviews. One-hundred-forty people developed pancreatic cancer over
the 14 years of follow-up.
The data showed that people who drank two or more soft drinks per week (per week!),
with the average of five per week, had an 87 percent increased risk of developing
cancer of the pancreas.
“The high levels of sugar in soft drinks may be increasing the level of
insulin in the body, which we think contributes to pancreatic cancer cell growth,” said
Dr. Pereira. It was not stated what constituted a serving (8 ounces or 12 ounces?).
This information is fascinating, but it still must be viewed with caution, as
there were definite limitations in this study. Susan Mayne, Ph.D., is a professor
of Epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health and a member of the Cancer
Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention editorial board.
“Although this study found a risk, the finding was based on a relatively
small number of cases, and it remains unclear whether it is a causal association
or not. Soft drink consumption in Singapore was associated with several other
adverse health behaviours such as smoking and red meat intake, which we can’t
accurately control for,” commented Dr. Mayne.
Jessica Harris, health information officer at the British charity Cancer Research
UK also expressed concern. “Although this study included a lot of people,
very few of them developed pancreatic cancer, so it is difficult to know if soft
drinks do increase the risk of pancreatic cancer or whether the results are just
down to chance,” said Harris.
“Also, people who drank lots of fizzy drinks in this study were more likely
to be unhealthy in other ways, like smoking, eating more calories and being less
active, so it is difficult to separate the effects of all these things,” she
continued.
Harris did note that there have been similar studies in the past with inconclusive
results – some found a link, and others did not. “Even so, it’s
important to remember that people can put on weight if they drink lots of sugary,
fizzy drinks, and being overweight increases the risk of lots of different types
of cancer, including bowel and breast cancers,” she said.
Dr. Pereira noted that the Singapore study is likely applicable to the United
States. “Singapore is a wealthy country with excellent health care. Favorite
pastimes are eating and shopping, so the findings should apply to other western
countries,” he said.
The bottom line is this: Moderation is essential when eating sugary foods and
drinking sugary beverages. The soft drinks we enjoy today just might play a role
in the development of pancreatic cancer. We know for certain that they can lead
to obesity, which is certainly a risk factor for several illnesses including
various cancers.
Mia Smitt, a Sacramento native, is a family nurse practitioner who has given
presentations at national conferences. She is married with two kids (one currently
serving in Iraq) and works at Sacramento Family Medical Clinic at 3637 Mission
Ave, Carmichael.
This page and its contents ©2010 Metropolitan News Company, Inc.
