Study Ties Soft-Drink Intake to Pancreatic Cancer

A new study suggests that drinking soda may increase your risk of pancreatic cancer, Reuters reports. Researchers tracked 60,524 participants in Singapore over 14 years. They found that those who drank two or more sodas a week had an 87 percent increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer. Lead author Mark Pereira of the University of Minnesota says that sugar in soda may be to blame—at high amounts, it could boost the body's insulin levels and spur cancer cell growth, according to Reuters. Another expert warned, however, that the study may be based on too few cases (only 140 participants developed pancreatic cancer) and that other risk factors such as smoking may have contributed to the results. The findings are published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.