Too much biscuits, cakes may up womb cancer risk
POSTED August 24, 2011 - 14:37 | POSTED BY Neelam Goswami
Last edited by Harpreet Bhagrath on August 24, 2011 - 14:53
It’s well documented in earlier studies that snacking regularly on sugary snacks can cause a variety of health problems, including tooth decay, overeating, and weight gain.
Sugary snacks may give you cancer
Now, a new study suggests that it could augment a woman’s risk of having endometrial cancer, the most common form of womb cancer, which affects 6,400 women a year and kills 1,000.
To look for a connection between sugary diets and the chance of developing endometrial cancer, the 10-year-long study done in Sweden involved 61,226 women, who answered dozens of questions about their food habits and their medical records between 1987 and 1990.
Ten years later, those still alive answered the same questionnaire on their sugar intake like in coffee, food, and in other eatables, their lifestyle, weight, and general health.
A team at Stockholm’s Karolinska Institute then matched the responses to data showing how many of the women developed womb cancer, and found 729 cases of the cancer in 18 years.
Study findings
The researchers found that women who consumed cakes and biscuits two to three times a week were 33 percent more likely to suffer from the disease than those who resisted sugary treats.
Furthermore, women who gave themselves such a treat of biscuits, muffins, and other sugary snacks more than three times a week were 42 percent more likely to develop a tumour in the womb.
Shockingly, intake of more than 35 grams of sugar a day was linked to the 36 percent higher risk of womb cancer, the study findings showed.
“These data may prove to be of major public health significance if confirmed by other studies in other populations,” said study authors, who reported their findings in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.
Larger study required to establish the link
However, Yinka Ebo, senior health information manager at Cancer Research UK, says more research is needed to establish a link between intake of sugary diets and the development of womb cancer.
“This study shows eating lots of sugar and certain sugary food may not increase the risk if womb cancer, but would need to see these results repeated in other large studies like this before we can draw any firm conclusions,” Ebo said.
