Regular consumption of sugar-sweetened soda increases risk for breast cancer mortality
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Regular consumption of sugar-sweetened soda appeared associated with an increased risk for death among women with breast cancer, according to study findings published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
“The literature suggests that sugar contributes to the incidence of breast cancer, but few data exist on the prognosis after a breast cancer diagnosis,” Nadia Koyratty, a PhD candidate in the department of epidemiology and environmental health at University at Buffalo School of Public Health and Health Professions, told Healio. “Compared with [patients with breast cancer] who reported never or rarely drinking non-diet soda, those who reported drinking non-diet soda five times or more per week had a 62% higher likelihood for death of any cause and were 85% more likely to die of breast cancer specifically.”
Researchers sought to assess the association between consumption of sugar-sweetened soda and all-cause and breast cancer-specific mortality among 927 women aged 35 to 79 years (median age, 57.7 years; 92.3% white) with incident, invasive breast cancer included in the Western New York Exposures and Breast Cancer (WEB) Study.
The women completed a food frequency questionnaire using dietary recall to determine how often they consumed sugar-sweetened soda — defined as regular carbonated sugar-sweetened beverages, excluding fruit juices, sports drinks, coffees, teas or flavored waters — at 1 year and 2 years before their breast cancer diagnosis.
Median follow-up was 18.7 years, at which time 41.6% of women had died. Of these, 39.6% were breast cancer-associated deaths.
Consumption of five or more sugar-sweetened soda drinks a week was associated with an increased risk for both total (HR = 1.62; 95% CI, 1.16-2.26) and breast cancer-specific mortality (HR = 1.85; 95% CI, 1.16-2.94) compared with never or rarely consuming sugar-sweetened soda.
Researchers noted that the associations did not change when they included diet soda consumption as a variable (total mortality, HR = 1.46; 95% CI, 1.05-2.04; breast cancer-specific mortality, HR = 1.65; 95% CI, 1.01-2.68).
Factors associated with an increased risk for all-cause and breast cancer-specific mortality among those who reported regular consumption of sugar-sweetened soda included ER-positive disease (total mortality, HR = 1.65; 95% CI, 1.1-2.5; breast cancer-specific mortality, HR = 2.41; 95% CI, 1.31-4.46) and a BMI above the median (total mortality, HR = 1.87; 95% CI, 1.21-2.89; breast cancer-specific mortality, HR = 2.02; 95% CI, 1.05-3.9).
“It is important to adhere to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the American Cancer Society [Guideline for Diet and Physical Activity], which both recommend limiting the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages even among [patients with] breast cancer,” Koyratty said. “Although we need more studies to confirm our findings, this study provides evidence that diet may impact the longevity of women after a breast cancer diagnosis. Further research looking at potential biological mechanisms of action that contribute to the association we observed are definitely needed.”
For more information:
Nadia Koyratty can be reached at University of Buffalo, 270 Farber Hall, Buffalo, NY 14227; email: bibinadi@buffalo.edu.
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Koyratty N, et al. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2021;doi:10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-20-1242.
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