Many people consume at least one to two cans of soda a day. A new study has found that even drinking the bare minimum of soda can cause an increased risk of cancer.
Drinking One Soda A Day Can Increase Risk Of Cancer
During the study, researchers studied more than 35,000 men and women from Australia, in which 3,283 people developed obesity-related cancers due to drinking soda every day.
The researchers found that people who drink soda are at high risk of developing various cancer types compared to those who don't drink soda, says lead study author Allison Hodge at the Cancer Council Victoria.
Professor Hodge looked at a dozen different types of obesity-related cancers, such as kidney, post-menopausal breast, pancreas, liver, prostate, gallbladder, and more.
Researchers were shocked to find cancer was not caused by being overweight. They also learned that people who weren't obese had an increased risk of getting cancer by drinking soda.
Drinking Soda Comes With Other Health Risks
"Those who regularly drink diet soft drinks are just as likely to be obese as those who regularly drink sugary soft drinks, which still carries health risks," said Professor Hodge.
Cancer isn't the only health condition linked with consuming soda. Soda can cause high blood pressure, heart disease, tooth decay, and gout. In fact, a previous study shows that 80,000 women who consumed a can of soda day had a 75 percent higher risk of getting gout than women who rarely had such drinks. Researchers found similar results when studying men who drink soda.
Research also shows that drinks contribute to diabetes. A previous study examined more than 90,000 women for eight years. Researchers found that women who drink one soda a day had an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes during the study than those who didn't drink soda.
Stop Drinking Soda
It can be hard not to drink soda, as the drink is displayed everywhere, from vending machines to fast-food joints and checkout lines in grocery stores. Like any addiction, people addicted to soda and caffeine have to make up their mind when it comes to quitting soda.
"If you're addicted to the caffeine in soda, you're really kicking two habits — the soda habit and the caffeine habit. "It takes a few weeks to truly forget the craving," said Barry Popkin, PhD, director of the University of North Carolina Interdisciplinary Obesity Program.
