In a study conducted in February 2010, researchers discovered that consuming two or more soft drinks a week increases the risk of developing pancreatic cancer. The study, a joint collaboration between the University of Minnesota and the National University of Singapore, was conducted in Singapore and monitored over 60, 000 men and women across 14 years.
According to Dr Mark Pereira, one of the chief researchers from the University of Minnesota, he found “those consuming soft drinks ... on a nearly daily basis ... their risk was about two, almost two times greater for dying of pancreatic cancer compared to the Chinese men and women in the study who were not consuming those beverages”.
When pressed for a reason as to why soft drinks cause this health risk, Dr Pereira added that “Lots of insulin is secreted when you consume these beverages in high volumes and insulin has been shown to promote the growth of cancer cells”.
Before you ditch your soft drinks in favour of healthier alternatives, several parties have spoken up to cast doubts on such findings. The American Beverage Association has rejected the findings. It says leading scientific bodies such as the National Cancer Institute still do not list soft drinks as risk factors for pancreatic cancer. Further echoing this sentiment is Professor Ian Olver, Cancer Council Australia CEO, who believes further research is needed.
"The research from the University of Minnesota shows an association between drinking soft drinks and getting pancreatic cancer but it can't demonstrate that one causes the other," he said.
Mr Olver is critical of the research method, which he says doesn't control two risk factors known to be associated with pancreatic cancer, smoking and eating red meat.
"I think that there needs to be further studies done to determine precisely why the association was found, was it the soft drink and the sugar or was it something else that they were doing as well?"
The research is published in a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Whether or not soft drinks are cancer risk factors, we can't be sure for now. However, if we wait until it has been scientifically proven to practice abstinence or reduce intake, it may be too late. Soft drinks are indeed potential causes for obesity, which is bad for general health. Whether or not soft drinks are dangerous, it is still good to start looking for healthier and equally tasty alternatives.
0 comments: