Sugary soda is one of those drinks that everyone knows are unhealthy, but most people drink them anyway. They taste great and can be so refreshing. When people typically think about soda being unhealthy, they normally associate it with having so much sugar that it can cause issues with weight gain, anxiety, diabetes, and more. According to a new paper published in the journal JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, however, the risk of oral cavity cancer (OCC) is also significantly elevated from drinking sugary soda.

This type of cancer is known to primarily affect older men who have a history of smoking and drinking, but the rates found in women has been climbing in recent decades, which is one of the things that prompted the study. This cancer causes painful sores in the mouth and if it is left untreated, the cancer can spread to the throat as well. The five-year survival rate for this type of cancer is just 64.3%, making it a very deadly form.

The researchers who worked on this paper gathered long-term health data for more than 162,000 healthcare workers, primarily nurses. Of that group, they identified 124 cases of OCC. From there, they were able to determine that those who drank at least one sugary soda per day had a 4.87 times greater risk of developing the cancer than those who drank 1 or fewer of these drinks per month.

Participants who don’t drink or smoke regularly, but do drink sugary sodas at least once per day had an even greater risk at 5.46 times more likely than those who don’t.

In 2020, there were 355,000 total new cases of OCC globally, with 177,000 deaths. This is a very high death rate compared to the more common cancers such as breast or colon cancer.

This study did not look at whether the risk went down for those who quite drinking the sugary drinks, but it is still highly recommended that people cut these drinks out to help improve their health.

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