Study Links Sugary Drinks to Colorectal Cancer Spreading Elsewhere in the Body

‘Daily diet matters not only for cancer risk but also for how the disease progresses once it has developed,’ said the lead researcher in the Texas study.

Soda for sale in New York City, in a file image. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Drinking sugary beverages containing fructose and glucose can increase the risk that colorectal cancer spreads in the body, according to a peer-reviewed study published on Sept. 19 by the journal Nature Metabolism.

Researchers in the study exposed colorectal cancer (CRC) cells to a combination of fructose and glucose, nearly mimicking the physiological environment that results from consuming sugar-sweetened beverages, according to the study.