Cancer
Sources of dietary sugar and site-specific cancer risk in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study Lynn Ferro* Lynn Ferro Ferro Ferro Ferro Ferro Ferro Ferro Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health
Background: In the US, the average daily intake of added sugar, of which 24% is comprised of sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs), is higher than the recommend amount of <10% of daily calories. Added sugar intake is associated with obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, but inconsistent evidence exists for cancer risk. We investigated the association of added sugar and SSB intake with site-specific cancer risk in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study.
Methods: Sex-specific quintiles of added sugar and quartiles for consumers of SSBs (grams/1000kcal/day) were calculated from food frequency questionnaires. SSBs included caffeinated and decaffeinated soda, sweet tea, and fruit flavored drinks (<100% fruit juice). Site-specific cancer incidence was identified by cancer registry linkage through 2018. HRs and 95% CIs were estimated and adjusted for demographic and lifestyle characteristics. Additional models evaluated further adjustment for diabetes and body mass index (BMI), given their potential to be mediators.
Results: At baseline, participants had a mean age of 62 years and 59% were male. After a median follow-up of 19.6 years, 114,149 cancer cases were identified. Added sugar and SSB intake were not associated with most cancers, however they were associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer (added sugar HRQ5vs.Q1:1.22 [1.18-1.27], SSBs HRQ4vs.non-consumers:1.31 [1.27-1.36]) (Figure 1). Added sugar and SSB intake were inversely associated with pancreatic cancer, added sugar was inversely associated with rectal cancer, and SSBs were inversely associated with lung adenocarcinoma, however these associations were null after adjustment for diabetes and BMI.
Conclusion: Few associations were observed for added sugar and SSB intake with site-specific cancer risk. While positive associations have been observed for added sugar and SSBs with colorectal and breast cancer risk in some studies, there was no convincing evidence for these associations in the NIH-AARP study.
