Women are at higher risk for oral cavity cancer, or OCC, if they consume high amounts of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), according to a new study in JAMA Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery, as reported by Oral Health Group. The risk is especially prevalent in female nonsmokers and light smokers.
The Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) and the Nurses’ Health Study II (NHSII) surveyed 162,602 women, and showed that if consumed one or more SSBs a day, women were five times more likely to develop OCC in comparison to those who drank less than one SSB a month. The participants of the study were monitored for up to 30 years, and 124 cases of invasive oral cavity cancer were reported. This outcome indicated increased rates by three per 100,000 over the recorded time.
Surprisingly, higher risks groups of women who drank at least one SSB a day are nonsmokers, light smokers, nondrinkers and light drinkers. Women in these groups experienced 5.46-fold higher risk.
More information is needed to better understand the full correlation of SSBs and OCC, and bigger, more diverse sample groups need to be studied. According to Medical Dialogue, SSBs are also linked to various gastrointestinal cancers.
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Last modified: April 10, 2025
