# Higher consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is associated with an increased risk of endometrial cancer: a prospective cohort study of 92,777 women from the UK Biobank

## TL;DR

Drinking more sugary drinks is linked to a higher risk of endometrial cancer in women, and swapping them for other drinks may lower the risk.

## Contribution

This study identifies sugar-sweetened beverages as a risk factor for endometrial cancer and suggests substitution with other drinks may reduce risk.

## Key findings

- Higher consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is associated with a 29% increased risk of endometrial cancer.
- Replacing sugar-sweetened beverages with natural juices or artificially sweetened beverages reduces cancer risk by 9-12%.
- BMI mediates 18.2% of the association between sugar-sweetened beverages and endometrial cancer.

## Abstract

The association between three beverage types—sugar-sweetened, artificially sweetened, and natural juices—and the incidence of endometrial cancer (EC) in a large cohort of women, given that this association is not yet fully understood.

We conducted a prospective, population-based cohort study using data from 92,777 women in the UK Biobank with a median follow-up of 13.3 years. Cox proportional hazards regression and substitution analyses were used to evaluate the associations.

During follow-up, 682 new cases of EC were recorded. Higher consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) was significantly associated with an increased EC risk (HR 1.29 for >1 unit/day vs. non-consumers, P for trend = 0.004), while no statistically significant associations were found for artificially sweetened beverages (ASBs) or natural juices. Replacing SSBs with ASBs or natural juices was associated with a 12 and 9% reduction in EC risk, respectively, and body mass index (BMI) was found to mediate 18.2% of the association.

In conclusion, higher consumption of SSBs is linked to an increased risk of EC, and substituting these drinks may help reduce this risk, highlighting the role of dietary choices in EC prevention.