Sugary Drinks Linked to Higher Oral Cancer Risk in Women

Key Takeaways:

• Women consuming sugary drinks daily face over 4 to 5 times higher risk for oral cavity cancer (OCC).
• The absolute risk remains low, with three additional cases per 100,000 people.
• Findings highlight the need for larger studies to explore dietary patterns and OCC risk.

Study Reveals Elevated OCC Risk Among Women Consuming Sugary Drinks

A recent longitudinal study published in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery has found a significant association between sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and an increased risk of oral cavity cancer (OCC) in women. According to the findings, women who consumed one or more sugary drinks daily had a 4.87 times higher risk for OCC compared to those who drank less than one sugary beverage per month. This correlation persisted even after adjusting for factors like BMI and glycemic load.

The research, which analyzed data from the Nurses’ Health Study and Nurses’ Health Study II spanning 1986 to 2017, included 162,602 women with no prior history of cancer. Over 30-plus years of follow-up, 124 invasive OCC cases were identified. Notably, the elevated risk was observed regardless of whether participants smoked or consumed alcohol.

Brittany Barber, MD, MSc, an associate professor in the department of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at the University of Washington, emphasized the importance of these findings: “Determining novel and harmful risk factors for [OCC] is paramount to cancer prevention.”

Absolute Risk Remains Low Despite Elevated Relative Risk

While the relative risk increase is notable, the absolute risk of OCC remains low. Researchers reported that the rate of OCC was only three additional cases per 100,000 people among women who consumed one or more sugar-sweetened beverages daily compared to those who consumed fewer than one monthly.

Barber and her colleagues acknowledged this distinction, stating, “Reporting risk increase as a relative value can be misleading” due to the baseline OCC risk being relatively low. They urged clinicians to interpret these findings within a broader clinical context.

Mechanisms Behind the Association

The study authors proposed several potential mechanisms linking sugary drink consumption to OCC. For instance, high intake of high fructose corn syrup—a common ingredient in sugar-sweetened beverages—may contribute to oral dysbiosis, which has been identified as an emerging risk factor for OCC.

Despite these insights, the researchers noted limitations in their study. These include possible underrepresentation or overrepresentation of sugary beverages’ effects on OCC risk and limited generalizability to diverse populations and men.

Implications for Clinical Practice

The findings underscore the importance of dietary counseling in preventive healthcare. As Barber explained to Healio, “Counseling patients to steer away from high consumption of sugar and sugary beverages is likely to be beneficial to cancer prevention, as well as their overall dental and medical well-being.”

For physicians, this study adds to the growing body of evidence linking excessive sugar consumption to various chronic diseases. While further research is needed to confirm these findings and explore their applicability across different populations, the results provide a compelling reason to encourage healthier beverage choices.

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This article is based on information derived from Healio (https://www.healio.com/), referencing the study by Gomez-Castillo et al., published in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.