One sugary drink a day may increase women's risk of mouth cancer, study finds

Consuming sugary drinks every day may increase women's risk of mouth cancer, according to new research.

Women who drink one or more sugary drinks per day are almost five times more likely to develop oral cancers than those who consume less than one a month, a study by the University of Washington released today has found.

Excluding heavy smokers from the data increased the likelihood even more, with women who didn't smoke or were light smokers both more than five times more likely to contract mouth cancers than those who drank less than one a month.

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Researchers studied 162,602 women over 30 years, during which time 124 developed mouth cancers.

Overall, drinking excess sugary beverages contributed to three extra cases of mouth cancer per 100,000 people, according to the data.

Researchers cannot confirm whether the same findings will apply to men.

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