Sugar sweetended foods and beverages linked to high risk of endometrial cancer

Sunay Nov 24, 2013 (foodconsumer.org) -- Eating sugary foods and drinking sugar sweetened beverages may increase the risk of endometrial cancer, a new study in Cancer Causes and Control suggests.

The study led by Melony King from the Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, NJ and colleagues conducted the case-control study and found women who had the highest intake of added sugar were 84$ more likely to develop endometrial cancer than those who had the lowest intake.

Researchers conducted the study because they believed that there may be an association between sugar consumption and risk of endometrial cancer.  Sugar intake promotes insulin production, which has been associated with endometrial carcinogenesis.

For the study, 424 cases of endometrial cancer were compared with 398 controls for their consumption of sugar-added foods and beverages.  Dietary information and waist and hip measurement were also available for the researchers to use for the study.

Women in the highest quartile of added sugar intake were found at 84% increased risk of endometrial cancer compared with those in the lowest quartile.  

And among women with waist-to-hip ratio equal to or greater than 0.85, those in the highest tertile of added sugar intake were 150% more likely to be diagnosed with endometrial cancer than those in the lowest teritle.  

Risk of endometrial cancer was found increased by 103% among never-users of hormone replacement therapy who were in the highest tertile of sugar intake, compared with those never-users in the lowest tertile.   Both body mass index and physical activity did not modify the association.  

The study was not a trial and it does not prove that the increase in risk of endometrial cancer among high sugar consumers was actually caused by sugar consumption.  Those who consumed high amount of sugars may likely also consume high amounts of other risky foods such as red meat.   But the possibility  that sugar consumption may increase the risk cannot be excluded either.  More research is needed to clarify the association between sugar consumption and increased risk  of endometrial cancer.

The American Cancer Society in its updated guidelines on nutrition and physical activity recommends “Limit consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages such as soft drinks, sports drinks, and fruit-flavored drinks.”

Some basics about endometrial cancer

Endometrial cancer is a malignancy that starts in the endometrium, the lining of the uterus (womb).  The disease is expected to be diagnosed in 50,000 women and the disease and its complications are expected to kill 8,100 women in 2013 in the United States.

The risk factors include obesity, high levels of estrogen, endometrial hyperplasia, Lynch syndrome, hypertension, polycystic ovary syndrome, nulliparity (never having carried a pregnancy), infertility, early menarche, late menopause, endometrial polyps, diabetes mellitus, tamoxifen use, high intake of animal fat, pelvic radiation therapy, diagnosis of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, anovulatory cycles, physical inactivity and heavy alcohol consumption.

How to prevent endometrial cancer?

The list of risk factors above may give readers some idea about what a woman or girl needs to do to reduce her risk for endometrial cancer.

1) Do not eat too much animal-derived foods, which tend to push girls into adulthood too early;  Early menstruation means late menopause, which means long time exposure to cancer promoting sex hormone estrogen;

2) Have a baby or two at a young age;

3) Do not use hormone based drugs like contraceptives or hormone replacement therapy;

4) Avoid radiation whenever possible;

5) Try to avoid diabetes mellitus by following a diet with low sugar, low fat, low meat and low cholesterol;

6) Avoid alcohol consumption;

7) Follow moderate physical exercise, which can lower sex hormone;

8) Avoid becoming obese;

Drinking coffee may reduce the risk of type 2 endometrial cancer – a new study

J. R. Cerhan from Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, MN, USA and colleagues recently published a study in British Journal of Cancer suggesting that drinking coffee can reduce the risk of endometrial cancer.

The study shows that women drinking 4 cups of caffeinated coffee per day or more were 35% less likely to develop type 1 endometrial cancer than those drinking less than or equal to one cup per day.  The association was nonexistent for drinking decaffeinated coffee.

For drinking decaffeinated coffee, the association was not significant, but still suggesting that drinking decaffeinated coffee may reduce the risk of endometrial cancer by 24% which is not statistically significant.  However, drinking decaffeinated coffee was associated with 44% reduced risk of endometrial cancer among women with a body mass index of greater than 30 kg/m2.

Coffee drinking does not seem to affect the risk of type 2 endometrial cancer.  And consumption of tea, cola, and chocolate was not associated with the risk of endometrial cancer.

The study was based on data from 23,356 postmenopausal women of whom 471 type 1 and 71 type 2 endometrial cancer cases.

The study concluded “Coffee may protect against Type I EC (endometrial cancer) in obese postmenopausal women.” (David Liu, PHD)