{"id":861212,"date":"2026-08-19T20:44:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T20:44:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/861212\/"},"modified":"2026-08-19T20:44:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T20:44:10","slug":"just-1-sugary-drink-a-day-more-than-doubles-risk-of-stomach-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/861212\/","title":{"rendered":"Just 1 Sugary Drink a Day More Than Doubles Risk of Stomach Cancer"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"CloseShare on Pinterest<\/a>Drinking at least one sugary beverage a day could more than double your risk for stomach cancer. Milky Way\/Moment\/Getty ImagesA new study reports that drinking at least one sugar-sweetened beverage a day could more than double a person\u2019s risk of stomach cancer. Researchers say that artificially sweetened beverages were not linked to higher stomach cancer risk, however.Stomach cancer is currently the fifth most common cancer worldwide and can be deadly. <\/p>\n

A new study found that drinking at least one sugar-sweetened beverage a day, such as soda or sports drinks, may more than double your risk for stomach cancer.<\/p>\n

Artificially sweetened beverages, however, were not associated with gastric cancer risk. The results were published in Gastro Hep Advances<\/a> on August 17.<\/p>\n

Past research<\/a> has shown that certain lifestyle choices may help reduce the risk of stomach cancer, such as adopting a healthy, balanced diet<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe already had strong evidence linking sugar-sweetened beverages to a higher risk of colorectal<\/a>, breast<\/a>, and liver cancers<\/a>,\u201d said senior study author Andrew T. Chan<\/a>, MD, MPH, a gastroenterologist and epidemiologist with the Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute. <\/p>\n

\u201cGiven how almost 65% of U.S. adults consume at least one of these beverages a day, it seemed important to ask whether that same relationship might extend to stomach cancer,\u201d he told Healthline.<\/p>\n

To analyze the impacts of sugar-sweetened drinks on stomach cancer risk, researchers examined health data from more than 112,000 people who had enrolled in large studies in 1976 and 1986. The participants were followed for many years and were asked questions about their diet and lifestyle. <\/p>\n

The researchers found that people who consumed at least one sugar-sweetened beverage a day \u2014 including carbonated beverages, punch, lemonade, and sports drinks \u2014 had a 2.45 times higher risk of developing stomach cancer, when compared to those who drank less than one serving a month. <\/p>\n

\u201cMost people who drink sugary beverages could choose to cut back or substitute something else,\u201d Chan said. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf this association holds up in future research, it means there may be a meaningful, actionable way for people to lower their risk of a cancer that is often diagnosed late and is difficult to treat. It\u2019s also a reminder that diet\u2019s influence on cancer risk isn\u2019t limited to the cancers we usually think of, like colorectal cancer<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStomach cancer is often diagnosed at a late stage, when treatment options are limited,\u201d Chan continued. \u201cUnlike some cancers with established screening programs, there isn\u2019t a standard screening test for stomach cancer in the U.S. Thus, prevention of stomach cancer through modifying risk factors such as diet is critical.\u201d <\/p>\n

When looking at artificially sweetened drinks, such as low calorie carbonated beverages<\/a>, the researchers reported that a higher consumption of these beverages wasn\u2019t associated with higher stomach cancer risk. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s possible that some of the mechanisms linking sugar-sweetened beverages to cancer, like the metabolic effects of fructose<\/a> or the calorie load contributing to weight gain, simply don\u2019t apply to artificially sweetened beverages, since they don\u2019t contain the same sugars or calories,\u201d Chan said. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat said, the evidence on artificial sweeteners and cancer risk overall is still evolving and somewhat mixed, and our findings shouldn\u2019t be read as a blanket statement that these beverages carry no risk,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n

Anton Bilchik<\/a>, MD, PhD, a surgical oncologist, chief of medicine, and director of the Gastrointestinal and Hepatobiliary Program at Providence Saint John\u2019s Cancer Institute in Santa Monica, CA, said he found it alarming that a single sweetened drink is associated with such an increase in stomach cancer risk. Bilchik wasn\u2019t involved in the study.<\/p>\n

Why sugar-sweetened beverages might contribute to this increased risk, Bilchik said, is still unknown. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the factor that seems to be one of the most important causes of cancer, whether it be stomach cancer or other forms of cancer, is inflammation<\/a>,\u201d Bilchik continued. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd whether sweetened drinks cause or result in increased inflammation and then stomach cancer is yet to be studied. So several possible explanations, but the bottom line is we just don\u2019t know.\u201d <\/p>\n

To cut back on sugar-sweetened beverages, Meridan Zerner<\/a>, a registered dietitian and founder of Meridan Zerner Nutrition in Dallas, TX, advised starting by making one swap per day. Zerner wasn\u2019t involved in the study.<\/p>\n

\u201cReplace one sugar-sweetened beverage, such as the afternoon soda<\/a> or sweet tea, with cold water, sparkling water<\/a>, or unsweetened iced tea,\u201d Zerner told Healthline.<\/p>\n

\u201cAppreciating that change can be challenging \u2014 give yourself permission to taper rather than quit abruptly.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cFor sweet tea, use half sweetened\/half unsweetened, then gradually shift the ratio,\u201d she continued. \u201cFor soda, mix sparkling water with a smaller amount of soda or move from daily to several days per week.\u201d <\/p>\n

Zerner said to remember that sugary drinks extend beyond soda. Depending on the brand, lemonade, smoothie drinks, and certain sports drinks are also considered sugar-sweetened beverages.<\/p>\n

\u201cUse these selectively or choose a low sugar or sugar-free option,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Share on PinterestDrinking at least one sugary beverage a day could more than double your risk for stomach…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":861213,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[64,63,137],"class_list":["post-861212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/861212","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=861212"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/861212\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/861213"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=861212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=861212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=861212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}