A new study found that drinking even a small amount of sugar-sweetened beverages per day could lead to 18% increased risk of all types of cancer and 22% risk of breast cancer. A group of researchers asked over 100,000 French adults about their habitual consumption of more than 3,000 food and drink supplies. The research team observed the respondents for more than 9 years. Generally, men consumed 90.3 ml of sugary drinks every day compared to women who consumed 74.6 ml per day. During the study duration, an approximate 2,193 first cases of cancer were verified through medical records and health databases. Based on the results of the study, at an average age of 59, 693 participants were diagnosed to have breast cancer, 291 with prostate cancer, and 166 with colorectal cancer.

Moreover, age, gender, educational attainment, family history of cancer, smoking habits, and recreational activities were also considered other risk factors of cancer in the study. According to Ian Johnson, a nutrition expert, “The results indicate statistically significant correlations between the consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks and risk of all cancers combined, and of breast cancer.” Mathilde Touvier, lead author of the study also concluded, “What we observed was that the main driver of the association seems to be really the sugar contained in these sugary drinks.” She recommended that people should be aware of public health guidelines that diminish sugary drinks consumption to at least one glass a day.