You’re not very likely to get cancer in your liver or your gallbladder. Only about 40,000 cases of liver cancer are diagnosed in America every year, and gallbladder cancer has even lower chances with just 12,000 cases or so diagnosed yearly. So it’s unlikely to be in your family medical history. But if it is? It might be time to dial back your love of Coke, Pepsi, and all other similar products.
Researchers in Sweden recently crunched some numbers when looking at soda and juice consumption as a factor in developing rare cancers and there’s reason to believe that elevated blood sugar over time might contribute to cancers in the bile duct. Among people who drank two or more sweetened beverages a day, gallbladder cancers were 50% higher and liver cancers were 79% higher, that last being particularly bad as liver cancer is tough to treat and thus often fatal.
To give you an idea just how rare liver and gallbladder cancers actually are, though, it’s important to note that this study of 70,000 people (analyzed over 13 years) only had 150 cases (or just under 0.25% of the total group) to work with. And it’s not like there aren’t other health problems associated with chugging soda all day long, driving many of us to view it as a treat rather than a staple. Don’t forget that this isn’t limited to soda, either, it’s just that one-third of Americans get the most added sugar in their diet through what they drink. And even if you do have a higher risk of these cancers, the occasional Big Gulp or value meal drink isn’t going to put you at risk. But if you’ve got a regular soda habit, it may be time to look into iced coffee, black.
(Via Delish)
