Your Daily Sugary Drink Habit Could Double Your Risk of Stomach Cancer

• A new study reports that drinking at least one sugar-sweetened beverage a day could more than double a person’s 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. 

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.

Artificially sweetened beverages, however, were not associated with gastric cancer risk. The results were published in Gastro Hep Advances on August 17.

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

Experts advise limiting processed foods, including sugar-sweetened soft drinks, energy drinks, and commercial juices, for overall health.

“We already had strong evidence linking sugar-sweetened beverages to a higher risk of colorectal, breast, and liver cancers,” said senior study author Andrew T. Chan, MD, MPH, a gastroenterologist and epidemiologist with the Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute.

“Given 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,” he told Healthline.

Sugary drinks linked to 2.5 times greater stomach cancer risk

Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, is considered to be the fifth most common cancer globally. 

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. 

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

“Most people who drink sugary beverages could choose to cut back or substitute something else,” Chan said.

“If 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’s also a reminder that diet’s influence on cancer risk isn’t limited to the cancers we usually think of, like colorectal cancer.”

“Stomach cancer is often diagnosed at a late stage, when treatment options are limited,” Chan continued. “Unlike some cancers with established screening programs, there isn’t 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.” 

No stomach cancer risk with artificially sweetened drinks

When looking at artificially sweetened drinks, such as low calorie carbonated beverages, the researchers reported that a higher consumption of these beverages wasn’t associated with higher stomach cancer risk. 

“It’s possible that some of the mechanisms linking sugar-sweetened beverages to cancer, like the metabolic effects of fructose or the calorie load contributing to weight gain, simply don’t apply to artificially sweetened beverages, since they don’t contain the same sugars or calories,” Chan said. 

“That said, the evidence on artificial sweeteners and cancer risk overall is still evolving and somewhat mixed, and our findings shouldn’t be read as a blanket statement that these beverages carry no risk,” he added. 

Why do sugar-sweetened drinks raise stomach cancer risk?

Anton Bilchik, MD, PhD, a surgical oncologist, chief of medicine, and director of the Gastrointestinal and Hepatobiliary Program at Providence Saint John’s 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’t involved in the study.

Why sugar-sweetened beverages might contribute to this increased risk, Bilchik said, is still unknown. 

Bilchik noted that sweetened beverage intake is also associated with overweight and obesity, and posited that insulin resistance may play a role. 

“And 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,” Bilchik continued.

“And 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’t know.” 

Tips for cutting back on sugary drinks

To cut back on sugar-sweetened beverages, Meridan Zerner, a registered dietitian and founder of Meridan Zerner Nutrition in Dallas, TX, advised starting by making one swap per day. Zerner wasn’t involved in the study.

“Replace one sugar-sweetened beverage, such as the afternoon soda or sweet tea, with cold water, sparkling water, or unsweetened iced tea,” Zerner told Healthline.

“Appreciating that change can be challenging — give yourself permission to taper rather than quit abruptly.” 

“For sweet tea, use half sweetened/half unsweetened, then gradually shift the ratio,” she continued. “For soda, mix sparkling water with a smaller amount of soda or move from daily to several days per week.” 

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.

“Use these selectively or choose a low sugar or sugar-free option,” she said.

“Read the label. Check serving size and added sugars, and watch ingredient terms such as high-fructose corn syrup, cane syrup, glucose, dextrose, sucrose, agave, and concentrated fruit juice, which can indicate the amount of sugar impact.”