The Minnesota rsearchers say regular soda drinkers also tend to have poorer lifestyles, however, they do believe there is a plausible link between sugar-sweetened beverages and cancer in the pancreas.
Mark Pereira, Ph.D, the study leadr, believes high sweetener levels in soft drinks could be raising insulin levels, contributing to the growth of cancer cells.
Dr. Pereira and his colleagues analyzed data from 60,000 men and women taking part in the Singapore Chinese Health Study. Over 14 years, there were 140 cases of pancreatic cancer in the study.
Those who drank two or more soft drinks a week were 87 per cent more likely to develop pancreatic cancer than those who didn't drink soda. The average person in that group drank 5 sodas per week.
Dr. Pereira says Singapore's profile is similar to that of the United States - wealthy, with good health care, so his team feels the findings would apply to the U.S. as well.
