Association between artificially sweetened beverages and urinary tract cancers

Abstract

Objectives: The association of artificially sweetened beverage (ASB) intake with risk of urinary tract cancer (UTC) is unclear. We sought to investigate whether UTC incidence differed among women consuming various levels of ASBs. Materials and Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of a multicenter prospective study of 93,676 postmenopausal women ages 50 to 79 years at baseline who enrolled in 1993 to 1998. Participants who completed a follow-up visit 3 years after baseline and answered questions about ASB consumption and reported no prior UTC diagnoses were included. Incidence of UTC reported during subsequent visits until 2/28/2020 was recorded. Demographic characteristics were compared between those with rare (never to <1/week), frequent (1-6/week), and daily ASB consumption (1+ per day). Cox regression models were constructed to determine hazard ratios and adjust for potential confounders. Results: 80,388 participants met inclusion criteria. They were followed for an average of 13.5 years from year 3. Most participants (64%) were infrequent consumers of ASBs, with 13% (n= 10,494) consuming 1+ ASBs/day. There were multiple demographic differences between groups. Incidence of UTCs was low with only 804 cases identified during the time frame (Table 1). Frequent ASB consumption was associated with higher risk of renal cell carcinoma (aHR 1.34, 95% CI 1.03-1.75) (Figure 1). There was no significant association between ASB intake and bladder cancer (Table 2, Figure 2). Conclusion: Frequent ASB consumption may be associated with higher risk of renal cell carcinoma. We found no association between ASB consumption and bladder cancer. [Formula presented] [Formula presented] [Formula presented] [Formula presented]