Sugar-sweetened beverage intake and risk of early-onset colorectal cancer among women

Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption in industrialised countries has substantially increased across across successive birth cohorts until 2000, and adolescents and young adults under age 50 years have the highest consumption. Analysis of the Nurses’ Health Study has investigated the association of SSB consumption in adulthood and adolescence with the risk of early-onset colorectal cancer (EO-CRC) in women. Compared with women who consumed less than 1 serving per week, women who consumed two or more serving per day had a more than doubled risk of EO-CRC (RR 2.18; p=0.02). Each serving per day increment of SSB intake at age 13-18 years was associated with a 32% higher risk of EO-CRC. Replacing each serving per day of adulthood SSB with that of artificially sweetened beverage, coffee, reduced-fat milk or total milk was associated with 17-36% lower risk of EO-CRC.