Background: Higher
sugar consumption may increase
cancer risk by promoting
insulin-
glucose dysregulation, oxidative stress, hormonal imbalances, and excess adiposity. This prospective study investigates the association between
dietary sugars (
fructose and
sucrose) and sugary foods and beverages in relation to combined and site-specific (breast, prostate, colorectal) adiposity-associated
cancers.Methods: The analytic sample consisted of 3,184 adults, aged 26-84 years, from the Framingham Offspring cohort. Diet data were first collected between 1991 and 1995 using a food frequency questionnaire. Intakes of
fructose,
sucrose, sugary foods, and sugary beverages (fruit juice and sugar-sweetened beverages) were derived. Participants were followed up until 2013 to ascertain
cancer incidence; 565 doctor-diagnosed adiposity-related
cancers, including 124 breast, 157 prostate, and 68
colorectal cancers occurred. Multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate associations. Tests for interaction with BMI and waist circumference were conducted.Results: No associations were observed between
fructose,
sucrose, sugary food consumption, and combined incidence of adiposity-related
cancers or the examined site-specific
cancers. While total consumption of sugary beverages was not associated with site-specific
cancer risk, higher intakes of fruit juice were associated with 58% increased
prostate cancer risk (HR: 1.58; 95% CI, 1.04-2.41) in multivariable-adjusted models. In exploratory stratified analyses, higher sugary beverage intakes increased overall adiposity-related
cancer risk by 59% in participants with excessive central adiposity (HR: 1.59; 95% CI, 1.01-2.50; Ptrend = 0.057).Conclusions: In this cohort of American adults, higher sugary beverage consumption was associated with increased
cancer risk among participants with central adiposity.Impact: These analyses suggest that avoiding sugary beverages represents a simple
dietary modification that may be used as an effective
cancer control strategy.
Cancer Prev Res; 11(6); 347-58. ©2018 AACR.