HICGI News Agency Updated at 1144 GMT on 19th September 2021 – KAMPALA

Anthony Odur, Team Leader at Health Equity & Policy initiative Files Case against Uganda National Bureau of Standards- UNBS, National Children Authority, and Attorney General over fast foods and carbonated drinks.

Activists demand Health warnings in eating places and on carbonated drinks like it is on cigarettes. According to them, most cases of Cancers and non-communicable diseases, are due to consumption of junk foods and sodas. Anthony and his layer spoke to HICGI News Agency recently.

The consumption of sugary drinks has increased worldwide in the last decades; according to the Global Burden of Disease, their “summary exposure value” (taking into account the extent of exposure by risk level and the severity of that risk’s contribution to disease burden) increased by more than 40% from 1990 to 2016. The impact of sugary drinks on cardiometabolic health is well studied: they are associated with an increased risk of weight gain, being overweight, or obesity; a greater incidence of type 2 diabetes (independently of adiposity); a higher risk of hypertension; and with cardiometabolic death. In 2010, Singh and colleagues estimated that among all worldwide yearly deaths from diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, about 178 000 were attributable to sugary drink consumption.

 Sugary drink consumption was one of the behavioural risk factors that contributed the most to the increase in global attributable deaths and disability adjusted life years (DALYs) between 1990 and 2016. Artificially sweetened beverages were initially envisioned as a healthier alternative, however, they are associated with a higher incidence of hypertension, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. Besides, some artificial sweeteners were suggested to increase glucose intolerance by altering the gut microbiota.

Research

Objective To assess the associations between the consumption of sugary drinks (such as sugar sweetened beverages and 100% fruit juices), artificially sweetened beverages, and the risk of cancer.

Design Population based prospective cohort study.

Setting and participants Overall, 101 257 participants aged 18 and over (mean age 42.2, SD 14.4; median follow-up time 5.1 years) from the French NutriNet-Santé cohort (2009-2017) were included. Consumptions of sugary drinks and artificially sweetened beverages were assessed by using repeated 24 hour dietary records, which were designed to register participants’ usual consumption for 3300 different food and beverage items.

Main outcome measures Prospective associations between beverage consumption and the risk of overall, breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer were assessed by multi-adjusted Fine and Gray hazard models, accounting for competing risks. Subdistribution hazard ratios were computed.

Results The consumption of sugary drinks was significantly associated with the risk of overall cancer (n=2193 cases, subdistribution hazard ratio for a 100mL/d increase 1.18, 95% confidence interval 1.10 to 1.27, P<0.0001) and breast cancer (693, 1.22, 1.07 to 1.39, P=0.004). The consumption of artificially sweetened beverages was not associated with the risk of cancer. In specific subanalyses, the consumption of 100% fruit juice was significantly associated with the risk of overall cancer (2193, 1.12, 1.03 to 1.23, P=0.007).

Conclusions In this large prospective study, the consumption of sugary drinks was positively associated with the risk of overall cancer and breast cancer. 100% fruit juices were also positively associated with the risk of overall cancer. These results need replication in other large scale prospective studies. They suggest that sugary drinks, which are widely consumed in Western countries, might represent a modifiable risk factor for cancer prevention.

Study registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03335644.

Researchers

Eloi Chazelas,,  Bernard Srour, epidemiologist,  Elisa Desmetz,  Emmanuelle Kesse-Guyot, senior researcher,  Chantal Julia, assistant professor,  Valérie Deschamps, epidemiologist,  Nathalie Druesne-Pecollo, operational coordinator,  Pilar Galan, senior researcher,  Serge Hercberg, professor,  Paule Latino-Martel, senior researcher,  Mélanie Deschasaux, post-doctoral researcher,  Mathilde Touvier, senior researcher

Fully Report on https://www.bmj.com/content/366/bmj.l2408