The percentage of new cancer cases increases every year, and it is not coincidence. The lifestyle we lead greatly influences the development of future diseases, especially diet. The Spanish Network of Cancer Registries notifies that this year they have registered 279,260 cases of this disease.
Eating a healthy diet is not only essential for our current physical well-being, but also for preventing a host of health problems that may arise in the future.
Harvard University, together with researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospitalhave carried out a new study through which they have discovered that women who consume sugary drinks on a daily basis, they are at increased risk of liver cancer and death from chronic liver disease.
(Emilia Gómez Pardo, the molecular biologist who has the keys to preventing cancer)
The observational study worked with 10,000 postmenopausal women from the Women’s Health Initiative. The participants were followed for an average of more than 20 years.
The investigators analyzed the self-reported incidence of liver cancer and deaths due to chronic liver diseases such as fibrosis, cirrhosis, or hepatitis. All of them were verified through medical records or the National Death Index.
A total of 98,786 postmenopausal women were included in the final analyses. 6.8% of women who consumed one or more sugary drinks per day had an 85% increased risk of liver cancer and 68% increased mortality from chronic liver disease compared with those who drank less than three drinks sugared per month
“That we know, this is the first study to report an association between sugar-sweetened beverage intake and chronic liver disease mortalitysaid first author Longgang Zhao, of Brigham’s Channing Division of Network Medicine. Zhao is a postdoctoral researcher working with lead author Xuehong Zhang in the Channing Division.
“Our findings, if confirmed, may pave the way for a public health strategy that reduces the risk of liver disease.”
The authors also stress that the study was observational only, and that it relied on self-reported responses about intake, sugar content, and outcomes.
They highlight the need for more studies to assess this first information obtained and to determine why sugary drinks increase the risk of cancer and liver disease.
This says the WHO
For its part, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), of the WHO, has announced that the sweetener aspartamepresent in a multitude of drinks and foods, is “possibly carcinogenic to humans.”
The opinion arises after evaluating 1,300 previous studies on the matter. However, and contrary to what the Harvard study dictates, the WHO affirmed that the habitual consumption of aspartame is safe.
After reviewing the studies carried out to date, and taking into account that we are facing “limited evidence”, the health authorities classify aspartame as “possibly carcinogenic to humans”. This means including it in Group 2B of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) list of carcinogens.
According to the health authorities, it is not necessary to eradicate the consumption of aspartame. Of course, the daily intake of this compound should be limited to a maximum of 40 mg per kilogram of body weight per person per day.
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