‘Sobering data’: People Battling Breast Cancer Who Drink Sugar-Sweetened Soda May Be Putting Their Health at Risk, Study Says

Some of us find comfort during stressful times in things like sweets, comfort foods and rest. But according to a new study from the University of Buffalo, those battling breast cancer might be safer avoiding sugary soda. Dr. Sarah P. Cate, Assistant Professor of Surgery at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, says, “We know that patients who are overweight have higher risk of recurrence from breast cancer than those with a normal BMI or body mass index.”

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“Specifically, sugar is connected with weight, and we know sugary drinks often carry the highest amount of calories in patients’ diets,” says Dr. Cate. “We also know that insulin spikes and insulin-like growth factor are connected with breast cancer. This study highlights the importance of talking to patients about weight and dietary factors, which I already do with my breast cancer patients. More research needs to be done to understand the connection between non-diet soda and breast cancer, but this is sobering data.”

Sugar Soda and Breast Cancer

The link between alcohol and breast cancer has been widely researched, but what about your afternoon can of Coke or Dr. Pepper? According to the University of Buffalo, “breast cancer patients who drink sugar-sweetened beverages regularly are at increased risk for death from any cause and breast cancer in particular.”

This means that people with breast cancer should opt for non-sugar sodas, or no sodas altogether. This study looked at the correlation between sugar-sweetened soda and breast cancer mortality rates in over 900 women diagnosed with breast cancer, who were aged 35 to 79. Participants in the study were followed for a median of approximately 19 years.

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Women who reported drinking non-diet soda five times or more per week had a 62% higher likelihood of dying from any causes and were 85% more likely to die from breast cancer specifically. The findings were published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Another drink with lots of sugar in it is alcohol. In a previous interview, Dr. Elizabeth Comen, a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, says of the link between alcohol and breast cancer, "One of the things that we know [due to the statement from ASCO], is that actually, alcohol does increase the risk of breast cancer. It doesn't dramatically increase the risk of breast cancer, but with every drink, there is a linear response."

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"What that means is a linear response to risk, meaning that each drink increases a woman's risk for breast cancer. So binge drinking, it's not good for anybody," she says. "And it's also not good for a woman's increased risk of breast cancer. And so patients ask me this all the time well, how much can I drink? If you want to have absolutely no risk from alcohol, then don't drink at all. But probably having less than four glasses a week of alcohol is probably OK."

 

Breast Cancer Risk Factors

Breast cancer risk factors don’t just include sugary sodas and alcohol consumption. Lifestyle factors can play a part in the increased risk of developing breast cancer, but genetic factors can as well.

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For instance, the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic mutations lead to an increase in a person’s risk of developing breast and ovarian cancers. If you have a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, you may want to undergo genetic testing to screen for the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations. If they are present, there are preventative actions you can take, like actress Angelina Jolie, who underwent a mastectomy after discovering she had the gene mutation. Her mother passed away from ovarian cancer.

What is a BRCA Mutation?

 

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