Health

Study Links Sugary Drinks to Higher Gastric Cancer Risk

Is daily soda a proven cancer threat or are misleading headlines distorting the science?

Published AUG 19

#Health

Study Links Sugary Drinks to Higher Gastric Cancer Risk

Story

Above: Stock image of a virgin mojito. Image credit: Unsplash

The Facts

A study published in the journal Gastro Hep Advances on Monday found that people who consumed at least one sugar-sweetened beverage per day may have a 2.45 times greater risk of developing gastric cancer compared with those who drank less than one serving per month.
FOX News
Independent
Gastro Hep Advances
The research drew on data from 112,284 participants in the Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, spanning from 1986 to 2022, during which 278 participants were diagnosed with gastric cancer.
GB News
ScienceAlert
Women in the Nurses' Health Study who consumed more than one sugar-sweetened beverage daily faced a 3.04-fold higher risk of gastric cancer compared with those who rarely consumed such drinks, while men faced roughly twice the risk.
GB News
ScienceAlert
Mass General Brigham
Higher total fructose intake — the primary sweetener found in carbonated beverages, punch, lemonade and sports drinks — was associated with increased gastric cancer incidence, while artificially sweetened, low-calorie carbonated beverages showed no such link.
FOX News
CTVNews
Senior author Andrew T. Chan, a gastroenterologist and epidemiologist at the Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute, said it was "the first study to demonstrate an association between sugar-sweetened beverage intake and gastric cancer in a U.S. population."
News Medical
CTVNews
EurekAlert!
The study's authors acknowledged limitations, including limited data on Helicobacter pylori infection status and a predominantly white participant pool, which limited analysis across racial and ethnic groups.
GB News
Independent

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

Daily sugary drink consumption is a serious cancer risk that Americans keep ignoring. Small daily habits are quietly reshaping long-term health outcomes, and the science is too strong to dismiss.

Science & Nature on X

USA Today

Narrative B

This is not proof of cause and effect. Reporting that soda "increases risk" of stomach cancer goes far beyond what this type of research can actually show. Miscommunicating observational data erodes public trust in science.

Gary Schwitzer's HealthNewsReview Substack