High sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) intake is associated with an increased risk for oral cavity cancer (OCC) in women, according to a study published online March 13 in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.

Luis Gomez-Castillo, from the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, and colleagues conducted a longitudinal cohort study using data from women in the Nurses’ Health Study and Nurses’ Health Study II to examine the association between SSB intake and the risk of OCC.

The analyses included 162,602 women. The researchers identified 124 invasive OCC cases during 30 years of follow-up. Participants consuming one or more SSB daily versus less than one SSB monthly had a 4.87-times increased risk of OCC in multivariable-adjusted models (five versus two people per 100,000 population), increasing the rate of OCC to three more people per 100,000 population. The risk of OCC was 5.46 times higher when restricted to both nonsmokers or light smokers and nondrinkers or light drinkers, increasing the rate of OCC to three more people per 100,000 population.

“SSB intake was associated with an increased incidence of OCC in women, regardless of smoking or drinking habits and subsite. A stronger association was observed in nonsmoking and light-smoking as well as nondrinking and light-drinking participants,” the authors write. “This study provides support for ongoing policy pertaining to limiting sugar intake to improve health and limit chronic disease in the general population.”

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