Diet Drinks and Breast Cancer
Soda pop drinkers with breast cancer have higher mortality risk, UB study suggests
Research studies have tied soft drinks, including diet soda, to weight gain, Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. A new University at Buffalo study now reports ties to earlier risk of death for all causes when it comes to those with breast cancer.
Breast cancer patients who regularly drink soda and diet pop are at greater risk for death from any cause, particularly breast cancer, according to a new University at Buffalo study.
Researchers in the School of Public Health and Health Professions made the association using questionnaires, part of the Western New York Exposures and Breast Cancer (WEB) Study, to examine the relationship between sugar-sweetened soda, all-cause mortality and breast cancer deaths.
The study, which follows 927 women age 35 to 79 diagnosed with breast cancer, showed that those who reported drinking nondiet soda five times or more per week had a 62% higher likelihood of dying from any causes, compared to women who never or rarely drank diet soda, and were 85% more likely to die from breast cancer specifically.
Those in the study have been followed by a median of 19 years.
Breast cancer rates among women in the U.S. are the second-highest of all cancers, after lung cancer. Roughly one in eight women in the country will be diagnosed during their lifetime.
This helps explain why researchers are looking into lifestyle behaviors that may be associated with some cancer risks and outcomes.
Other studies have tied soda drinking to weight gain, Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
"This study is one of the few that looks at the prognosis of women with breast cancer with respect to non-diet soda consumption," said study first author Nadia Koyratty, a doctoral candidate in the School of Public Health Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, in a news release.
The WEB study used a food frequency questionnaire to gauge food and beverage intake in the 12 to 24 months prior to diagnosis of breast cancer; 41% had died by the end of the follow-up period. A higher percentage of women who did reported high frequency of sugar-sweetened soda consumption compared to the women who were still living.
The associations did not change when researchers included diet soda consumption as a variable, UB researchers reported.
"Nondiet sodas are the highest contributors of sugar and extra calories to the diet, but they do not bring anything else that is nutritionally beneficial," Koyratty said. "On the other hand, teas, coffees and 100% fruit juices, unless sugars are added, are healthier beverage options because they do add to the nutritive value through antioxidants and vitamins."
Sugar-sweetened sodas are loaded with sucrose and fructose, giving them a higher glycemic load than other beverages and many foods. This can lead to inflammatory conditions associated with a higher risk of breast cancer, the researchers said.
"There are more than 3.5 million breast cancer survivors alive in the U.S. today. We need to better understand the factors that affect their health," study senior author Jo L. Freudenheim, a SUNY distinguished professor in the UB School of Public Health, said in the news release. "While we need more studies to confirm our findings, this study provides evidence that diet may impact longevity of women after breast cancer."
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Source: https://buffalonews.com/news/local/soda-pop-drinkers-with-breast-cancer-have-higher-mortality-risk-ub-study-suggests/article_0656db6a-8351-11eb-85aa-db058ab0cea5.html