The University of Missouri have shown that statistically a sugar-rich diet and especially sugar-rich drinks leads to a significantly increased risk of endometrial or womb cancer. Not surprisingly then, both are linked to being overweight or obesity (1).
Of endometrial cancer, 86% is type-1, hormonally driven by estrogen. And the research shows sugar consumption plays a clear role, increasing risk by a whopping 78%. Dr. Maki Inoue from the Division of Epidemiology said she “wasn’t surprised” at the findings.
The study confirmed that overweight and obese women have higher levels of both insulin and oestrogen.
Chris Woollams, former Oxford University Biochemist and founder of CANCERactive said, “We have told readers consistently that sugar consumption increases cancer risk. Empty sugar, like glucose or high fructose corn syrup, in fizzy soft drinks is the favourite food of a cancer cell. Tumour cells like nothing better and they have much larger numbers of insulin receptors than healthy cells so they can get as much sugar into the cancer cell as possible. Also, oestrogen is known to increase when fat levels increase. It’s a lethal combination.”
The researchers used the Harvard Food Frequency Questionaire, 1986-2010.
Reference
1. Endometrial Cancer. U.S. National Library of Medicine; 20 November 2013.