Drinking fruit juice can increase cancer risk, study finds

French scientists have claimed that sugary drinks such as orange juice or soda can increase the risk of contracting cancer.

In a study published Wednesday, researchers at the Sorbonne Paris Cite University said that the consumption of sugary soft drinks – including 100% fruit juice – was "significantly badociated with the risk of cancer in general". Artificially sweetened beverages, such as diet sodas, were not badociated with an increased risk of cancer, they discovered.

The report's authors followed 101,257 adults over a five-year period, monitoring their consumption of sweetened and artificially sweetened beverages.

Sugary drinks have been defined as drinks containing more than 5% sugar, including fruit juice without added sugar.

During the study, 2,193 cases of cancer were diagnosed among the participants, or about 22 cases per 1,000 people. The majority of these cases involved people who regularly consumed sugary drinks.

However, the report's authors noted that additional investigations were needed to reinforce the significance of their findings.

"These findings should be replicated in other large-scale prospective studies, suggesting that sugary drinks, widely consumed in Western countries, could be a modifiable risk factor for cancer prevention," they said. .

They added that their findings could support existing recommendations to limit the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, as well as policy measures such as tax restrictions and marketing restrictions on sweetened beverages.

In an e-mailed statement, Gavin Partington, chief executive of the British Soft Drinks Association – which represents manufacturers such as Coca-Cola and PepsiCo – told CNBC that soft drinks were safe for a balanced diet.

"This study reports a possible badociation between higher consumption of sugary drinks and increased risk of cancer, but provides no evidence of the cause, as the authors readily acknowledge," he said. "The soft drink industry recognizes that it has a role to play in the fight against obesity, which is why we have led the way in reducing calories and sugar."

Soft drink manufacturers have been under pressure in recent years to reduce their sugar content as authorities around the world take steps to reduce public consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages.

Lawmakers in Philadelphia, Chicago County, Chicago, Boulder, Colorado, and San Francisco all introduced or pbaded the introduction of taxes on sodas. Internationally, Mexico – which has one of the highest rates of soda consumption in the world – applies a tax of 8 cents per liter on non-alcoholic beverages, while the United Kingdom has introduced taxes on non-alcoholic beverages containing more than 5 grams of sugar per 100 ml.