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Cancer
A number of expert committees have examined the evidence for links of various aspects of diet, including sugar, with cancer.
These include:
- Two Joint Consultations of the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the World Health Organisation (Food and Agriculture Organization, 1998, World Health Organization 2003)
- UK Government Committee on Medical Aspects of Food and Nutrition Policy (Department of Health 1998)
- The Food and Nutrition Board of The Institute of Medicine (National Academic Press 2002)
- The World Cancer Research Fund (World Cancer Research Fund / American Institute of Cancer Research 2007)
In addition, detailed reviews of the evidence on sugar and cancer have been published in the European Journal of Cancer Prevention by Burley (Burley, 1998a,b)
All of these experts agree that there is insufficient evidence to conclude that there is any link between the consumption of sugar and cancer at any site in the body. One important reason for this caution is that all the evidence available relates to associations between estimates of dietary intake and the occurrence of cancer in groups of individuals or within defined population groups. It is a well-established principle of population studies that such evidence cannot be accepted as conclusive evidence of causality.
An alternative view is presented in respect of colorectal cancer in the earlier of the two World Cancer Research Fund publications mentioned (World Cancer Research Fund, 1997) but this conclusion seems to have arisen as a result of selection of evidence and mistakes in data handling (Hill and Caygill, 1999).
Key References
- Burley V.J. 1998a. Sugar consumption and cancers of the digestive tract. European Journal of Cancer Prevention. 6, pp422-434.
- Burley V.J. 1998b. Sugar consumption and human cancer in sites other than the digestive tract. European Journal of Cancer Prevention, 7, pp253-277.
- Department of Health and Social Security. 1998. Nutritional Aspects of the Development of Cancer. Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy. Report on Health and Social Subjects No 48. HMSO, London.
- Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations & World Health Organisation. 1998. Carbohydrates in Human Nutrition. Report of a Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation. FAO Food & Nutrition Paper 66.
- Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences. 2002. Dietary reference intakes for energy, carbohydrates, fiber, fat, protein and amino acids. National Academic Press. USA.
- Hill M.J. and Caygill C.P.J. 1999. Sugar intake and the risk of colorectal cancer. European Journal of Cancer Prevention, 8, pp465-468.
- World Cancer Research Fund. 1997. Food, nutrition and the prevention of cancer: a global perspective. American Cancer Institute, Washington.
- World Health Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization. 2003. Diet, nutrition and the prevention of chronic diseases. Report of a Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation. WHO Technical Report Series 916. WHO Geneva, Switzerland.
