If you like to get a sugary drink along with your lunch every day, especially aerated drinks like Coke or Pepsi, it’s time you reconsider that habit. While it is definitely high on the calories, it’s also not great for health in the long run.
According new medical evidence, your seemingly harmless fizzy drink addiction is pretty darn serious. So much, that it can increase one’s risk of cancer.
The research study began when there was an increase in bowel cancer cases in people under 35 old, according to Dr. Lewis Cantley of Cornell University. Scientists decided to study this phenomenon and discovered that glucose and fructose, which are found in drinks sweetened with corn syrup, actually accelerated the growth of intestinal tumours in mice.
For the purpose of the study, mice that were prone to intestinal cancer were observed. They were fed with high-fructose corn syrup – that equals less than one can of coke per day. As a result, "The tumor was directly eating the sugar...the cancer was using fructose and glucose together to more than double its growth rate." Terrifying.
However, it is important to note that these tests were carried out on mice, who are genetically engineered to be prone to cancer. So, there is a good chance this may not directly translate the same way for humans. That being said, cutting out high-fructose food items like corn syrup and coke might just be a good precautionary idea, irrespective of its probably link to cancer.
