Added sugar and sugar-sweetened foods and beverages and the risk of pancreatic cancer in the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study.
BACKGROUND
Although it has been hypothesized that hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, and insulin resistance are involved in the development of pancreatic cancer, results from epidemiologic studies of added sugar intake are inconclusive.


OBJECTIVE
Our objective was to investigate whether the consumption of total added sugar and sugar-sweetened foods and beverages is associated with pancreatic cancer risk.


METHODS
In 1995 and 1996, we prospectively examined 487 922 men and women aged 50-71 y and free of cancer and diabetes. Total added dietary sugar intake (in tsp/d; based on the US Department of Agriculture's Pyramid Servings Database) was assessed with a food-frequency questionnaire. Relative risks (RRs) and 95% CIs were calculated with adjustment for total energy and potential confounding factors.


RESULTS
During an average 7.2 y of follow-up, 1258 incident pancreatic cancer cases were ascertained. The median intakes for the lowest and highest quintiles of total added sugar intake were 12.6 (3 tsp/d) and 96.2 (22.9 tsp/d) g/d, respectively. No overall greater risk of pancreatic cancer was observed in men or women with high intake of total added sugar or sugar-sweetened foods and beverages. For men and women combined, the multivariate RRs of the highest versus lowest intake categories were 0.85 (95% CI: 0.68, 1.06; P for trend = 0.07) for total added sugar, 1.01 (0.82,1.23; P for trend = 0.58) for sweets, 0.98 (0.82,1.18; P for trend = 0.49) for dairy desserts, 1.12 (0.91,1.39; P for trend = 0.35) for sugar added to coffee and tea, and 1.01 (0.77,1.31; P for trend = 0.76) for regular soft drinks.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results do not support the hypothesis that consumption of added sugar or of sugar-sweetened foods and beverages is associated with overall risk of pancreatic cancer.
Bao
Ying
Y
Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA. ybao@hsph.harvard.edu
Stolzenberg-Solomon
Rachael
R
Jiao
Li
L
Silverman
Debra T
DT
Subar
Amy F
AF
Park
Yikyung
Y
Leitzmann
Michael F
MF
Hollenbeck
Albert
A
Schatzkin
Arthur
A
Michaud
Dominique S
DS
D000368:Aged; D001628:Beverages; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D002253:Carbonated Beverages; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004032:Diet; D019422:Dietary Sucrose / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006943:Hyperglycemia / Q000150:complications; D006946:Hyperinsulinism / Q000150:complications; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
D001786:Blood Glucose; D019422:Dietary Sucrose