Liver cancer is diagnosed about 2,800 times a year in Australia, with about 2,400 deaths a year.
Drinking only one sugary drink such as tea or coffee a day is linked to an increased chance of liver cancer, scientists warn.
The additional risk could reach 78% for those with a sweet tooth, The Sun reported.
Liver cancer is diagnosed about 2,800 times a year in Australia, with about 2,400 deaths a year.
He has a low survival rate, with only 20.9 percent alive five or more years after his diagnosis.
The new study looked at data from 90,000 postmenopausal women who participated in the Women’s Health Initiative, a long-term study launched in the early 1990s.
Researchers led by the University of South Carolina reviewed their health for an average of 18 years, after giving dietary questionnaires.
About seven percent of women reported consuming one or more 12-ounce servings of sugary drinks a day.
A total of 205 women developed liver cancer, symptoms of which include fatigue, loss of appetite, malaise, pain under the ribs and itchy skin.
Women who drank one or more sugary drinks a day were 78% more likely to develop liver cancer.
Those who consumed at least one soda a day were 73% more likely to develop liver cancer, compared with those who had never had just three a month or none.
Lead author Longgang Zhao, a PhD candidate, said: “Our results suggest that drinking sugary drinks is a potential modifiable risk factor for liver cancer.
“If our findings are confirmed, reducing the consumption of sugary drinks could serve as a public health strategy to reduce the burden of liver cancer.
“Replacing sugary drinks with water and sugar-free coffee or tea could significantly reduce the risk of liver cancer.”
The results were presented at the annual meeting of the American Nutrition Society.
More studies would be needed to determine if and why sweet drinks can contribute to liver cancer.
But researchers say it may be because sugar increases the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes, which in turn are risk factors for liver cancer.
These drinks can also contribute to insulin resistance and the accumulation of fat in the liver, which affect the health of the liver.
The main limitation of the study is that it was observational, meaning the link cannot be secure.
And it may be another lifestyle factor, especially shared by those who drink sugary drinks, that connects with liver cancer. Regular consumption of sugary drinks such as soft drinks and fruit drinks has been associated with a variety of health problems.
This story was originally published in The Sun and has been reproduced here with permission.