Daily sugary drink linked to 2.45 times higher stomach cancer risk

September 9, 2026 at 05:00 AM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

A study of 112,284 U.S. adults found that daily consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages was associated with a 2.45 times higher risk of gastric cancer compared with drinking less than one per month. The association was observed in both women and men, with women showing a 3.04-fold higher risk. Artificially sweetened beverages showed no increased risk.

Key Facts

The study analyzed data from 112,284 participants in the Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study.
During follow-up, 278 participants developed gastric cancer.
Daily consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages was associated with a 2.45 times higher risk of gastric cancer compared with less than one serving per month.
Among women in the Nurses' Health Study, consuming more than one sugar-sweetened beverage per day was associated with a 3.04-fold higher risk of gastric cancer.
Artificially sweetened beverages were not associated with a higher incidence of gastric cancer after adjustment for other factors.

Study Design

Researchers from the Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute examined data from 112,284 participants enrolled in the Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. These long-running studies collected detailed information about participants' diets, lifestyles, and health over several decades. During the follow-up period, 278 participants developed gastric cancer. The findings were published in the journal Gastro Hep Advances.

Key Findings

Participants who drank at least one serving of a sugar-sweetened beverage each day had a 2.45 times higher risk of developing gastric cancer than participants who consumed less than one serving per month. The association appeared in both women and men. Among women in the Nurses' Health Study, consuming more than one sugar-sweetened beverage per day was associated with a 3.04-fold higher risk of gastric cancer compared with women who very rarely consumed these beverages. Higher overall fructose consumption was also associated with a greater incidence of gastric cancer. After researchers accounted for other potential factors, greater consumption of artificially sweetened beverages was not associated with a higher incidence of gastric cancer.

Expert Commentary

Senior author Andrew T. Chan, MD, MPH, a gastroenterologist and epidemiologist with the Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute, stated that this is the first study to demonstrate an association between sugar-sweetened beverage intake and gastric cancer in a U.S. population. Chan noted that gastric cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer death worldwide, but little was known about how diet might contribute to this cancer. For the study, sugar-sweetened beverages included carbonated beverages, punch, lemonade and sports drinks, while artificially sweetened beverages were defined as low-calorie carbonated beverages.