Researchers tracking more than 112,000 U.S. adults over several decades found that people who drank at least one sugar-sweetened beverage per day had roughly 2.45 times the risk of gastric cancer compared with those who rarely consumed such drinks. The finding comes from a study reported by ScienceDaily.
Artificially sweetened drinks, by contrast, were not associated with a similar increase in stomach cancer risk. This distinction suggests the observed risk was tied to sugary drinks rather than to beverage consumption in general.
Because the report is based on a single observational study, it does not establish cause and effect. Still, the size and long follow-up make the association worth attention in clinical and public health settings.