Sugary Drinks May Increase Mouth Cancer Risk for Women

Even among women who do not drink alcohol or smoke heavily, daily consumption of popular soft drinks still increases their cancer risks by nearly 5.5 times.

As the number of oral cancer cases continue to rise among young people and nonsmokers worldwide, a team of researchers indicate that sugary drinks like caffeinated and non-caffeinated soft drinks may be to blame.

Previous research has found that women who drank at least one soft drink, or soda, per day had a 73% higher risk of developing liver cancer, compared with those who never consumed soda or had less than three soft drinks per month.  Other studies have shown that one sugary drink per day can increase risks of heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases by as much as 20%.

Building on this research, a new study published last week in the journal JAMA Otolaryngology — Head & Neck Surgery indicates that women who drink up to one sugary soft drink per day can have anywhere from a 4.87 to a 5.46 times greater chance of developing oral cancer, compared to women who consume only one sugary soft drink per month.

The new study was conducted by a team of researchers from the University of Washington, who looked at 124 cases of oral cavity cancer from among 162,602 women who all participated in the Nurses’ Health Study, which involved 30 years of follow up evaluations. 

The team, which was led by Luis Gomez-Castillo, determined that participants who drank one sugar-sweetened beverage per day had a 4.87 times greater chance of developing oral cancer, than those who drank only one of those beverages each month. This increased the total number of individuals who developed oral cancer by three people per 100,000.

In addition, women who did not smoke or were light smokers, as well as women who did not drink or were light drinkers, still had a 5.46 times greater chance of developing oral cancer when consuming one sugary beverage each day, which increased the risk of individuals developing oral cancer by an additional three people per 100,000, according to the findings.

As a result, the researchers concluded that sugary beverages lead to a greater chance of developing oral cancer among women. However, they also indicated that additional studies of larger cohorts, as well as cohorts including men, need to be conducted to verify their findings.

Ultra-Processed Food Lawsuits

Amid the new findings linking sugary caffeinated soft drinks to oral cancers, a supporting body of medical research has also linked sugary drinks and other ultra-processed foods (UPFs) to a number of adverse childhood health concerns. 

UPFs, which range from sugary cereals and snack chips to frozen meals and sodas, contain heavily refined ingredients and additives like emulsifiers, artificial sweeteners and preservatives that enhance taste and shelf-life but lack nutritional benefits.

However, there is now growing evidence that routine childhood consumption of the additives and ingredients used in UPFs may increase the risk of metabolic disorders and conditions, such as childhood type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

As a result, a growing number of lawyers across the U.S. are now investigating potential ultra-processed food lawsuits for families of children diagnosed with type 2 diabetes or fatty liver disease, claiming that the food industry has failed to disclose health risks, while employing marketing practices that prioritized profits over consumer safety.