Sugar-sweetened beverages implicated in liver cancer

Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages may contribute to an increased risk of liver cancer, according to a meta-analysis.

Researchers searched multiple online databases for studies in which the association between artificially sweetened and sugar-sweetened beverages and liver cancer subtypes were examined. A total of 11 prospective cohort studies met the eligibility criteria and were included in the meta-analysis.

Of the included studies, 10 involved US cohorts and one was a European cohort. The median duration of follow-up ranged from 11.4 to 31.4 years. Participants were followed up via linkage to state cancer registries or follow-up surveys for incident liver cancer.

The total study population comprised 1,518,411 participants (mean age 57.8 years, 58.2 percent female). Over a median follow-up of 17.8 years, 2,811 incident liver cancer cases were reported, including 1,699 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and 444 intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) cases.

In multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models, intake of artificially sweetened beverage showed no association with the risk of overall liver cancer, HCC (10 cohorts), or ICC (6 cohorts).

On the other hand, each 1-beverage increase in daily intake of sugar-sweetened beverages was associated with a 10-percent increase in the risk of HCC (hazard ratio [HR], 1.10, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.03–1.18) and a 15-percent increase in the risk of ICC (HR, 1.15, 95 percent CI, 1.00–1.32).

Diabetes status did not modify the observed associations.