translated from Spanish: Research Links Sugary Drinks to Colorectal Cancer

Sugary soda, fruit juices, sports drinks and sweetened teas could be behind the worrying increase in people under the age of 50 who have developed colorectal cancer, according to a study published by the medical journal Gut.
The researchers concluded that, compared to those born in 1950, people born in 1990 had a significantly higher risk of colon cancer or rectal cancer.
While consumption of sugary drinks is declining compared to the last century – between 1977 and 2001 it peaked – colorectal cancer rates in people under the age of 50 have increased considerably in recent years.
“This is the first time sugary drinks have been linked to the early onset of colorectal cancer,” said Yin Cao, an assistant professor of Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and lead author of the study.
“Colorectal cancer in young adults remains relatively rare, but the fact that rates have increased over the past three decades, and we don’t understand why, is a major public health concern and a priority in cancer prevention,” the expert added.
More than 100,000 nurses were screened
The researchers documented the health status of 94,464 nurses who had been recruited between 1991 and 2015, when these health workers were between the ages of 25 and 42. These were joined by another 41,272 nurses who provided information about their drinking, when they were between 13 and 18 years old.
In total, 109 cases of colorectal cancer were discovered among nurses. However, those who consumed at least two or more drinkables had twice the risk of developing the associated diseases.
The study, which considered other variables such as body mass index, exercise, smoking or alcohol consumption, among others, could only demonstrate a connection with cancer, but not a direct cause-and-effect relationship.
“Researchers and clinicians should consider that this risk factor (obesity or overweight), which has been so ignored, may contribute to the development of cancer at younger ages. It’s an opportunity to rethink policies on the marketing of sugary drinks and how we can help reduce their consumption,” cao concluded.

Original source in Spanish

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