Sweetened sodas are not the drink of choice if you want to live a long, healthy life.

However, despite mounting evidence, many of us are still hooked on soda and other sugary drinks.

Research has found clear links between sugar-added drinks and accelerated aging, liver cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

In addition, sugar and tooth decay go hand-in-hand… but bad teeth may be the least of your worries if you make a habit of consuming sugary drinks.

That’s because now research has linked them to a higher risk for oral cancer…

Higher risk than smoking and alcohol

Researchers at the University of Washington found that it doesn’t take much to tip the scales against you when it comes to sweet drinks and elevated risk of oral cancer.

They looked at records that covered the dietary habits of a group of women over a 30-year period. Of the 162,602 women,124 developed oral cancer during that time.

But here’s the kicker: women who drank one or more sugary drinks per month were nearly five times more likely to develop oral cancer than those who drank less than one per month.

Two sodas per month. It doesn’t seem like a lot, right? But it could be enough to multiply your risk of oral cancer by five.

And it gets even more serious…

You might be thinking, “Well, what’s one guilty pleasure when overall I follow most of the rules for living a healthy lifestyle?”

That may not be enough. Even among women who didn’t drink or smoke, the ones who drank two sugary drinks per day were at 5.46 times the risk of oral cancer than those who drank one or none per month.

Oral cancer is linked to papillomavirus (HPV) infection, but also to lifestyle habits, including smoking, chewing tobacco and heavy drinking. So, it’s really alarming that oral cancer is on the rise among people outside of those typical risk factors.

Reducing this latest risk for oral cancer

Oral cancer is a potent incentive to give up sugary drinks. But you might need to consider other dietary changes as well.

That’s because the researchers think an inflammatory diet may be part of the reason oral cancer is impacting people outside of those typical risk factors…

“A Western dietary pattern has increasingly been recognized as a risk factor for gastrointestinal tract cancers and is characterized by high consumption of saturated fats, processed foods and added sugars,” according to the researchers.

“Our hypothesis is that diets with higher added sugar may contribute to chronic inflammation, which may, in turn, contribute to the risk of OCC.”

If you make changes to reduce sugar, do it the right way. That means not reaching for artificial sweeteners. They don’t have the all-clear yet…

The researchers feel studies are needed to confirm whether soft drinks with artificial sweeteners would be just as harmful and could have the same cancer connection.

So, how can you kick the habit? Here are a few tips.

Drink water instead. Soda cravings are often really just thirst, and water is much better at quenching thirst. Keep a pitcher or bottle of water close at hand.

Keep soda at a distance. Don’t buy it or keep it in your home. But if you do and the craving hits, take a walk instead, putting actual physical distance between you and that drink.

Have a healthy sweet treat instead. Try fresh fruit. If you’re truly thirsty, try coconut water or fruit-flavored sparkling water.

If you drink a lot of soda, cut back gradually to avoid headaches, fatigue and irritability. If you feel like you miss the caffeine, try coffee. Coffee has many health benefits and is associated with a lower risk of head and neck cancers.

Be sure to stay hydrated with water throughout the day. You can do this!

Sources:

Oral Cancer Cases Are on The Rise, And Sugary Drinks Could Be to Blame — Science Alert

High Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Intake and Oral Cavity Cancer in Smoking and Nonsmoking Women — JAMA Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery