Soft drinks linked to prostate cancer

Men who drink 300ml of soft drink every day could be putting themselves at risk of aggressive forms of prostate cancer, researchers in Sweden have found.\n\nMore than 8,000 men between the ages of 45 and 73 were assessed by experts from Lund University, comma with those who had one soft drink a day 40 per cent more likely to develop serious forms of the disease.\n\nIsabel Drake, a PhD student from the university, explained to the AFP that it is not only the choice of drinks that is putting men's health under threat.\n\nA high intake of sugary breakfast cereals increased the likelihood of milder forms of cancer by 38 per cent.\n\nResults that are soon to be published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggested that further study is needed before any dietary guidelines can be changed.\n\nMs Drake said that only then can authorities begin to "tailor food and drink guidelines for certain high-risk groups".\n\nIn recent days, Queensland chief health officer Jeannette Young said that parents need to avoid giving youngsters sugary drinks.\n\nCommenting on a report called Health of Queenslanders 2012: Advancing Good Health, she noted that increasing obesity levels among kids are partly down to them consuming high levels of sugar.\n\n"Many parents think fruit juice is a healthy alternative, but it is a poor substitute for whole fruits and is loaded with kilojoules. The high acidity level masks the fact that fruit juice has about as much sugar as soft drink," she commented.\n\nParents who want to reduce the amount of sugar their kids are drinking might want to try Stevia, a healthy sugar that is low in calories but is still packed with flavour. Alternatively, try 1Cal drinks.\n\nChildren and adults alike can therefore keep themselves hydrated but without the health risks associated with sugary soft drinks.\n\n