Scientists draw potential connection between sugary drinks consumption and colon cancer risk

In the 1980s and 1990s, people drank a lot more soda and fruit juice. Now, doctors are parsing a potential connection between that period of high sugary beverage consumption and an uptick in colon cancer rates. In a study of almost 95,000 registered nurses in their 20s to early 40s, researchers found that those who reported drinking two or more servings of sugar-sweetened drinks—soda, energy drinks, and juice—per week saw their risk for colon or rectal cancers double, compared to those who reported drinking one serving per week or less. This is the first study linking sugary drinks consumption to early-onset colon cancer, but it probably shouldn’t be the last. The New York Times has the story.