Suiker en suikerhoudende dranken verhogen kans op kanker.*

Uit een langjarige Zweedse studie onder bijna 80.000 gezonde mensen blijkt dat regelmatige inname van suiker in o.a. frisdranken, sportdranken, jams en bijv. in de koffie de kans op het ontstaan van kanker van de pancreas tot wel 90% groter kan maken. Alhoewel kanker aan de pancreas minder vaak voorkomt is die wel zeer moeilijk te genezen.

Uit een Amerikaans onderzoek blijkt sportdranken ook nog eens slecht zijn voor uw tanden. Ze veroorzaken 90 tot 180 keer meer glazuurverlies dan water. Dat is meer dan de schadelijke werking van cola (65 keer), koffie en thee (7 keer). Dit komt door de aanwezigheid van verschillende zuren in de sportdranken. Van de onderzochte dranken scoorde Sprite het allerslechtst (180 keer zo schadelijk als water).

Fizzy drinks increase risk of pancreatic cancer

The high consumption of sweetened food and drink increases the risk of developing pancreatic cancer, according to a new study from Karolinska Institutet. A heavy intake of fizzy drinks, creamed fruit and sugar in coffee are three common ways of increasing the risk.

Pancreatic cancer is a very serious form of cancer that is possibly caused when the pancreas produces heightened levels of insulin as a consequence of upset glucose metabolism. A well-known way of increasing insulin production is to eat a lot of sugar. Scientists have now, for the first time, shown that the consumption of sweetened food and drink affects a person´s chances of developing pancreatic cancer.

The study began in 1997 when scientists ran a dietary survey of almost 80,000 healthy women and men. This group was subsequently monitored until June 2005. According to the cancer registry, 131 people from this group had developed cancer of the pancreas.

The researchers have now been able to show that the risk of developing pancreatic cancer is related to the amount of sugar in the diet. Most at risk were those who drank high quantities of fizzy or syrup based (squash) drinks. The group who said that they drank such products twice a day or more ran a 90% higher risk than those who never drank them. People who added sugar to food or drinks (e.g. coffee) at least five times a day ran a 70% greater risk than those who did not. People who ate creamed fruit (a product resembling runny jam) at least once a day also ran a higher risk - they developed the disease 50% more often than those who never ate creamed fruit.

"Despite the fact that the chances of developing pancreatic cancer are relatively small, it´s important to learn more about the risk factors behind the disease," says Susanna Larsson, one of the researchers involved in the study.

"It is perhaps the most serious form of cancer, with very poor prognoses for its victims. Since it´s difficult to treat and is often discovered too late, it´s particularly important that we learn to prevent it," she says.

Consumption of sugar and sugar-sweetened foods and the risk of pancreatic cancer in a prospective study

Susanna C Larsson, Leif Bergkvist and Alicja Wolk

¹ From the Division of Nutritional Epidemiology, National Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden (SCL and AW), and the Department of Surgery and the Centre for Clinical Research, Central Hospital, Västerås, Sweden (LB)

Background: Emerging evidence indicates that hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia may be implicated in the development of pancreatic cancer. Frequent consumption of sugar and high-sugar foods may increase the risk of pancreatic cancer by inducing frequent postprandial hyperglycemia, increasing insulin demand, and decreasing insulin sensitivity.

Objective: The objective of the study was to examine prospectively the association of the consumption of added sugar (ie, sugar added to coffee, tea, cereals, etc) and of high-sugar foods with the risk of pancreatic cancer in a population-based cohort study of Swedish women and men.

Design: A food-frequency questionnaire was completed in 1997 by 77 797 women and men aged 45–83 y who had no previous diagnosis of cancer or history of diabetes. The participants were followed through June 2005.

Results: During a mean follow-up of 7.2 y, we identified 131 incident cases of pancreatic cancer. The consumption of added sugar, soft drinks, and sweetened fruit soups or stewed fruit was positively associated with the risk of pancreatic cancer. The multivariate hazard ratios for the highest compared with the lowest consumption categories were 1.69 (95% CI: 0.99, 2.89; P for trend = 0.06) for sugar, 1.93 (1.18, 3.14; P for trend = 0.02) for soft drinks, and 1.51 (0.97, 2.36; P for trend = 0.05) for sweetened fruit soups or stewed fruit.

Conclusion: High consumption of sugar and high-sugar foods may be associated with a greater risk of pancreatic cancer. (Nov. 2006) 

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