Drinking two or more sweetened soft drinks every week may put consumers at a much higher risk of pancreatic cancer -- one of the deadliest forms of cancer, according to a study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

Researchers followed 60,524 men and women participants in the Singapore Chinese Health Study for 14 years. Since the study began, in 1993, 140 volunteers developed pancreatic cancer. Those who drank two or more soft drinks a week had an 87 percent higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer.

Sugar may be to blame, but people who regularly drink sweetened sodas often have other poor health habits, lead researcher Mark Pereira of the University of Minnesota said to Reuters.

"The high levels of sugar in soft drinks may be increasing the level of insulin in the body, which we think contributes to pancreatic cancer cell growth," Pereira said.

The pancreas, which lies behind the stomach, secretes enzymes, such as insulin, that aid digestion and hormones that help regulate the metabolism of sugars, according to the Mayo Clinic.

People who drank mostly fruit juice instead of sodas did not have the same risk, according to the study.

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Source:

Reuters. "Study links sugary soft drinks to pancreas cancer," http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6170NY20100208; 08 Feb. 2010.