Sugar-sweetened beverage intake in adulthood and adolescence and risk of early-onset colorectal cancer among women

Women exhibited a higher risk of early-onset colorectal cancer (EO-CRC) in relation to higher sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) intake in adulthood and adolescence. The increasing burden of EO-CRC could potentially be attenuated by reduction of SSB intake among adolescents and young adults.

• A total of 95,464 women who had reported adulthood beverage intake every 4 years were examined in the Nurses’ Health Study II (1991–2015), to prospectively investigate the link of SSB consumption in adulthood and adolescence with EO-CRC risk.

• Overall 109 EO-CRC cases were reported, and women who had ≥2 servings/day of SSBs in adulthood vs those who consumed <1 serving/week were found to have a more than doubled risk of EO-CRC (relative risk RR: 2.18), with a 16% higher risk (RR 1.16) per serving/day increase.

• A 32% higher risk of EO-CRC was observed in relation to each serving/day increase of SSB consumption at age 13–18 years (RR 1.32).

• A 17%–36% lower risk of EO-CRC was observed when each serving/day of adulthood SSB intake was replaced with that of artificially sweetened beverages, coffee, reduced fat milk or total milk.