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A soft drink a day raises prostate cancer risk: study
Posted: 27 November 2012 0110 hrs
Click to enlarge Photos 1 of 1
A woman sells soft drinks at a stall in Beijing on April 22. Men who
drink one normal-sized soft drink per day are at greater risk of getting more
aggressive forms of prostate cancer, according to a Swedish study released
Monday. (AFP/File - Ed Jones)
STOCKHOLM: Men who drink one normal-sized soft drink per day are at greater
risk of getting more aggressive forms of prostate cancer, according to a
Swedish study released Monday.
"Among the men who drank a lot of soft drinks or other drinks with added sugar,
we saw an increased risk of prostate cancer of around 40 percent," said Isabel
Drake, a PhD student at Lund University.
The study, to be published in the upcoming edition of the American Journal of
Clinical Nutrition, followed over 8,000 men aged 45 to 73 for an average of 15
years.
Those who drank one 330-millilitre (11-fluid-ounce) soft drink a day were 40
percent more likely to develop more serious forms of prostate cancer that
required treatment.
The cancer was discovered after the men showed symptoms of the disease, and not
through the screening process known as Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA).
Those who ate a diet heavy on rice and pasta increased their risk of getting
milder forms of prostate cancer, which often required no treatment, by 31
percent, while a high intake of sugary breakfast cereals raised the incidence
of milder forms of the cancer to 38 percent, Drake told AFP.
While further research was needed before dietary guidelines could be changed,
there are already plenty of reasons a person should cut back on soft-drink
consumption, she noted.
The men in the study had to undergo regular medical examinations and kept a
journal of their food and drink intake.
Previous studies have shown that Chinese and Japanese immigrants in the US
develop prostate cancer more often than peers in their home countries.
Further research on how genes respond to different diets would make it possible
to "tailor food and drink guidelines for certain high-risk groups," Drake said.
- AFP/fa
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