Sugar-containing beverages and their association with risk of breast, endometrial, ovarian and colorectal cancers among Canadian women

Background: The association of sugar containing beverages (SCBs) with risk of breast, endometrial, ovarian and colorectal cancers is unclear. Therefore, we investigated these associations in the Canadian Study of Diet, Lifestyle, and Health. Methods: The study population comprised an age-stratified subcohort of 3185 women and 848, 161, 91 and 243 breast, endometrial, ovarian and colorectal cancer cases, respectively. We used Cox proportional hazards regression models modified for the case-cohort design to assess the associations of SCBs with risk of the aforementioned cancers. Results: Compared to SCB intake in the lowest tertile, SCB intake in the highest tertile was positively associated with endometrial cancer risk (HR_{T3 vs T1} = 1.58, 95 % CI = 1.08−2.33 and 1.78, 95 % CI = 1.12−2.81 for overall and Type 1 endometrial cancer, respectively) and ovarian cancer (HR_{T3 vs T1} = 1.76, 95 % CI: 1.09−2.83). Fruit juice intake was also positively associated with risk of Type 1endometrial (HR_{T3 vs T1} = 1.63, 95 % CI = 1.03−2.60). After excluding women with diabetes or cardiovascular diseases, we also observed sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) intake in the highest tertile was associated with higher risk of Type 1 endometrial cancer (HR _{T3 vs T1} = 1.65; 95 % CI: 1.03−2.64). None of the beverages was associated with risk of breast or colorectal cancer. Conclusion: We conclude that, in this cohort, relatively high SCB intake was associated with higher risk of endometrial and ovarian cancers, but not of breast or colorectal cancers. Our findings also suggest that relatively high SSB and fruit juice intake are associated with higher risk of Type 1 endometrial cancer.