Sugary drinks are already linked to conditions such as diabetes and obesity, but new research suggests they could also accelerate cancer growth in people already diagnosed with colorectal cancer.
Scientists at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found that the combination of fructose and glucose found in many sweetened drinks directly contributes to metastasis.
Metastasis, the spread of cancer cells to other parts of the body, is the leading cause of death among patients with advanced colorectal cancer.
“To fully understand the danger of sugary drinks, we needed to see whether they can make existing cancers more aggressive and spread faster, not just whether they increase the risk of getting cancer in the first place,” said Jihye Yun, assistant professor of genetics at MD Anderson, speaking to Newsweek.
Colorectal cancer includes both colon and rectal cancers.
