Men who drink one normal-sized soft
drink per day could be 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.
For more information
The American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition
(MDN) |
