Daily fizzy drink intake linked to aggressive prostate cancer

As if there weren’t enough reasons to give-up sugary fizzy drinks, a new Swedish study has perhaps added another persuader to this. In addition to helping to rot teeth and adding extra inches to your waistline due to the massive sugar content, there have been studies to emerge this year that have found that fizzy drinks can have even more detrimental effects to health. For instance, in February it was revealed in an Australian study that soft drinks could result in an increased danger of developing asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).


Then in June, high levels of the dangerous colouring agent 4-methylimidazole (4-MI)  were found in cans of Coca-Cola in numerous countries around the world, a chemical shown in tests to be connected to cancer within some animals. Past research has also linked brittle bones, heart attacks, diabetes, pancreatic cancer, muscle weakness and even paralysis as possible dangers from the long-term heavy consumption of such drinks.

The new study, conducted by scientists at Lund University in Sweden, has found evidence that shows men who consume just one solitary 300ml soft drink each day  - less than a standard 330ml can – could be at a 40% higher risk at developing serious forms of prostate cancer; the most prevalent type of cancer in UK males. This is in comparison to men who refrain from drinking soft drinks.
Prostate cancer develops in the prostate – a gland in the male reproductive system. In the UK alone there are an estimated 36,000 to 40,000 men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer and there are about 250,000 men currently living with the disease. It tragically claims the lives of over 10,000 men in the UK every year.

The Swedish study involved tracking 8,000 healthy men who were aged between 45 to 73 years of age for an average of around 15 years.  All the men were in perfect health at the beginning of the study and were continually quizzed about their dietary preferences, including soft drink intake.
At the close of the study, the researchers compared the diets of the men who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer against that of the healthy men, and subsequently established a link between intake of sugary drinks and the potentially fatal disease.

Isabel Drake, Lund University researcher, commented on the study findings and said: “Among the men who drank a lot of soft drinks we saw an increased risk of prostate cancer of around 40 per cent.”
Their investigation also established some link between a less severe type of prostate cancer and large amounts of rice and pasta, cakes and biscuits, and sugary breakfast cereals that were in the subject’s diet.

However, before people start to panic and banish these foods from their diet completely, Dr Iain Frame, director of research at Prostate Cancer UK, attempted urged caution in interpreting the study findings and said:  “We cannot be certain whether any particular dietary pattern has a significant impact on a man’s risk of getting prostate cancer but it is highly unlikely that any single food source will lead to an increased chance of developing the disease.” In addition, Drake also stressed that more research would be required to fully prove any definite links between dietary choices and prostate cancer.

Symptoms of prostate cancer include: having to urinate more frequently, difficulty beginning to urinate, a feeling that your bladder has not been fully emptied and a weak flow of urine. If you are suffering with any symptoms similar to these you should visit your own GP as soon as possible for a check-up. The earlier prostate cancer is spotted – the better chance of treatment being effective and a full recovery can be made. If it is not prostate cancer then you may be one of 2.4 million men in the UK suffering from a condition called benign prostatic hyperplasia. Also known as an enlarged prostate gland, it can be treated through the use of effective medication such as Flomax Relief, which eases the symptoms associated with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) of a BPH. Flomax works by relaxing muscles in the prostate gland, relaxing the muscles in the urethra (the tube from the bladder to the outside of the body).  This allows urine to travel more comfortably through the urethra, making it easier to urinate. Flomax is available today from the Medical Specialists Pharmacy chemist shop priced at just £8.75 for 14 capsules, or £15.95 for 28.

High blood pressure and obesity increase prostate cancer mortality

Prostate cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death, after lung cancer. Just in the UK alone, it is estimated that around 36,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year and it is responsible for a quarter of all newly diagnosed cases of cancer in men. Of this total of 36,000, just under a third will tragically die; usually because it has not been identified and treated early enough.
Unfortunately, prostate cancer will usually cause no symptoms until the cancer has become big enough to place pressure on the urethra. The symptoms are also incredibly similar to benign prostatic hyperplasia, and thus if you have such symptoms, it may not automatically mean you have prostate cancer. They include: having to urinate more frequently, problems actually beginning to urinate, a feeling that your bladder has not been fully emptied and a weak flow of urine.

The older you get, the chances increase of you developing prostate cancer, with it particularly being prevalent in people over the age of 70. However, a new study has come to light that sheds more light on the ‘high-risk’ groups, and what factors contribute to the deadly cancer.

Dr Christel Haggstrom, from Umea University, Sweden, and her team assessed nearly 300,000 males from Austria, Norway and Sweden over a duration of twelve years. Their aim was to analyse prostate cancer prevalence, how many deaths occurred, and what factors were contributing to prostate cancer incidence. The study was known as ‘The Metabolic Syndrome and Cancer (MeCan) project’.

Through the follow-up period of twelve years, a total of 6,673 men developed prostate cancer and of these, 961 unfortunately died from the disease. It was discovered that those who had among the highest BMI readings, had a 36% chance of dying from prostate cancer. For those with the highest blood pressure readings, the mortality rate was calculated as 62%.

Dr Haggstrom and colleagues looked at a wide range of risk factors, including high body mass index (BMI), high blood pressure, and high levels of sugar and fats in the blood, This is collectively known as ‘metabolic syndrome’. She said: “When we looked to see if the metabolic factors are related to an increased risk of getting or dying from prostate cancer we found a relationship with death from the disease and high blood pressure. There was also a link to high BMI but blood pressure had the strongest association to increased risk. The results for BMI are in line with previous findings in large studies. I can’t speculate on the reasons for the association between having high blood pressure and dying from prostate cancer. More research is needed to find out why this is the case but the results add further evidence to the hypothesis that high levels of metabolic factors separately or combined are related to an increased risk of dying from the disease.”

Pär Stattin, MD, PhD, from the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, led the study. He commented on its findings, saying: “These observations suggest that cardiovascular risk factors such as overweight and hypertension are involved in stimulating the progression of prostate cancer.”

If you are suffering with any symptoms mentioned earlier, you should visit your own GP as soon as possible for a check-up and do not delay in doing this. The earlier prostate cancer is spotted – the better chance of treatment being effective and a full recovery can be made. Alternatively, there is a chance you could be one of the 2.4 million men in the UK suffering from the previously mentioned condition, benign prostatic hyperplasia. Also known as an enlarged prostate gland, it can be treated through the use of effective medication such as Flomax Relief, which eases the symptoms associated with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) of a BPH. Flomax works by relaxing muscles in the prostate gland, relaxing the muscles in the urethra (the tube from the bladder to the outside of the body).  This lets urine pass more freely through the urethra, making it easier to urinate. It is available today from the Medical Specialists Pharmacy chemist shop, costing just £8.75 for 14 capsules, or £15.95 for 28.