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Can You Get Colon Cancer from Soft Drinks, Coffee And Tea?

17th October, 2010 - Posted by health news - No Comments

A variety of studies have been done in recent years trying to determine if drinking a lot of coffee, tea or soft drinks increases your risk of getting colon cancer.

But it appears that part of the question has been put to rest – at least for a while. The news is positive for coffee and tea drinkers, and uncertain for those who love sugary sodas.

Investigators from the Harvard School of Public Health, led by Dr. Xuehong Zhang, examined about a dozen separate studies in reaching their conclusions. The studies were conducted in North America and Europe.

The study pooled data on more than 730,000 individuals scattered around the world, and subjects were followed for anywhere between six and twenty years. 5,600 eventually got colon cancer. The researchers reported that their conclusions weren’t affected much by factors such as gender, smoking and alcohol consumption.

The study results, reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, seem to indicate that coffee aficionados who drink coffee daily – even four or more cups – are at no more risk of developing colon cancer than other people who don’t drink coffee at all.

The findings were also good for those who drank a lot of tea (32 ounces a day or more) – though not quite as good as the news for coffee drinkers. Tea drinkers ran a slightly higher risk of getting colorectal cancer.

It was more difficult to draw conclusions about sugary soda beverages.

Sugary sodas have long been known to contribute to obesity. Obesity is a cause of a variety of interconnected conditions and diseases, and it’s virtually impossible to separate colon cancer from all the others.

Researchers noted that getting pure data was difficult in this study due to the huge scope and size of populations being investigated. Choices and volumes of beverages varied tremendously.

Investigations into a possible relationship between colon cancer and popular drinks before the Harvard study produced inconclusive or inconsistent results.

According to the American Cancer Society, around one hundred thousand individuals are found to have colon cancer annually in the United States alone. About half that number of new rectal cancer cases are diagnosed. Colorectal cancer ranks third on the list of most frequently diagnosed cancer cases. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, accounting for approximately 50,000 deaths every year.

Happily, death rates have been decreasing in recent years. A variety of reasons may account for this.

One is that colon polyps – which are fleshy formations in the colon that may be pre-cancerous – are being found by screening and removed before they can develop into cancer.

As screening facilities and public awareness has grown, more and more cases are being discovered early, when the chances of successful treatment is greater.

There is also greater public awareness of the dangers of colorectal cancer, which was something that was rarely discussed or publicized for many years.

Finally, research has led to great strides in treatment over the past few decades. As a result, there are now more than 1 million colorectal cancer survivors in the United States.

Doctors say it’s important to pay more attention to colon health as we get older. Regular colon cancer detection tests – like a colonoscopy – are suggested for everyone who has reached middle age.

Meanwhile, if you love coffee or tea, it appears you can have all you want without fear of raising your chances of getting colon cancer.

Neal Kennedy is a former TV and radio talk show host who often writes on subjects related to the dangers of colorectal cancer and colon cancer detection. To read more of his articles, visit Colon Health Info.