What is the relationship between the consumption of fruit juices and sugary drinks with cancer?

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who drink a glass of orange juice a day may be more likely to develop cancer, compared to those who avoid the consumption of sugary drinks, a new study suggests.

In a report published in The Independent, the author said that the study conducted on French adults proved that consumption of an additional 100 ml of pumpkin syrup, soft drinks or fruit juice per day was associated with an increase in the incidence of any type of cancer by 18% .

Those who consumed 150 ml of juice a day were 12 percent more likely to develop cancer than those who consumed normal juice.

High sugar content
The authors note that the risk of cancer among those who consumed large quantities of artificially sweetened diet drinks has not increased. The study, published in the British Medical Journal, can not prove that it is the high sugar content that causes this additional risk directly.

However, the researchers said that sugar may increase the risk of obesity, which in turn contributes to the emergence of at least 13 types of cancer.

"These data support the importance of current dietary recommendations to reduce the consumption of sugary beverages, including fruit juices, as well as certain political measures, such as taxes and marketing restrictions on sugary beverages, which may contribute to reducing cancer incidence," they said.

Fruit juices are currently exempted from the "sugar tax" imposed on sweetened beverages in the UK, but the study supports evidence that the tax should be extended.

Ministers in the United Kingdom are reportedly planning to include milk and other sweetened milk beverages in this tax, as part of the future health care plan.

Risk of cancer
A study by the British Medical Journal analyzed 101,257 people aged 42 at the beginning of the study. They were followed for five years, consuming about three thousand different types of food and drink over a period of six months. They found that they consume an average of 92.9 ml of beverages Sugar or fruit juice daily.

The consumption of every 100 ml of these drinks increases the risk of cancer by 18%.

For women, when they consume this amount, the risk of breast cancer increases by 22%.

Natural fruit juice contains large quantities of natural sugars.

During the study, participants consumed about 56 milliliters a day, about two cups a week, and because the risk persisted even when controlling the body mass index, the team said that it is likely that weight gain may not be the only driver of the link between sugary drinks and the risk of cancer .

They also referred to other research that sugary drinks promote the accumulation of fat in the abdominal area, even if the person has a healthy weight, which in turn promotes the growth of tumors.

Consumption of sugary drinks
Dr Graham Wheeler, one of the most important statisticians at London University College, said the study was comprehensive and well designed, but warned that these findings could not apply to a large population.

He added that the participants were followed up with an average of five years. Twenty-two of the 1,000 participants were diagnosed with cancer. This means that if the number of participants consuming sugary drinks per day increases by 100 milliliters, Between 22 and 26 out of a thousand people over five years.

However, there is supposed to be a causal relationship between drinking sugary drinks and developing cancer rates, and this seems to still need further research.

Gaffin Partington, director general of the British Soft Drinks Association, said the study did not provide evidence of the cause of the cancer, as the authors of the study admit.

He added that soft drinks are safe drinks and can be consumed as part of a balanced diet. The soda industry recognizes that it plays a role in helping to treat obesity, which is why we reduce calories and sugar, he said.