A summary of the study on “The mediating roles of anthropo-metabolic biomarkers on the association between beverage consumption and breast cancer risk”
This research paper by Lin et al (2025), published in the BMC Nutrition Journal in March 2025, looks into the connection between what people drink and their risk of developing breast cancer. Breast cancer is a very common cancer in women, and the researchers wanted to understand if different types of drinks could increase or decrease this risk, and if certain body characteristics or metabolic markers play a role in this connection.
Methods
The study involved a large group of 13,567 women from southern China who were part of the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study. These women answered questions about their beverage consumption at the start of the study and were followed for an average of almost 15 years to see who developed breast cancer. During this time, 243 women were diagnosed with breast cancer.
The researchers used two main approaches to analyse the data: an observational study and a Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. The observational study looked at the direct relationships between reported beverage consumption and the development of breast cancer, while considering other factors like age, lifestyle, and health history. The MR analysis used genetic information from a large database (UK Biobank) to try and determine if the observed associations were likely to be causal, meaning if the drinks actually caused the changes in risk, rather than just being associated with them.
Results
The study’s main finding was that drinking more sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) was linked to a higher risk of breast cancer. Specifically, women who drank at least one portion of SSBs per week had a significantly higher risk compared to those who drank less than one portion. The MR analysis also supported this finding, suggesting a causal link between higher SSB consumption and increased breast cancer risk.
The researchers also explored potential “middlemen” – anthropo-metabolic biomarkers – that might explain how SSBs could increase breast cancer risk. These are measurable characteristics of the body and its metabolism. The study found that:
- Body mass index (BMI) and uric acid partly explained the link between SSB consumption and breast cancer risk in the observational study. This means that drinking more SSBs might lead to weight gain and higher uric acid levels, which in turn could increase the risk of breast cancer.
- In the MR analysis, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (often called “good” cholesterol), the ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) to total fatty acids (TFAs), and the ratio of omega-6 fatty acids to TFAs were identified as potential mediators. This suggests that SSBs might affect fat metabolism in ways that could contribute to breast cancer development.
Interestingly, the study found that consuming 3-6 portions of soy milk per week was associated with a marginally lower risk of breast cancer. However, no significant associations were found between breast cancer risk and the consumption of pure fruit juice, coffee, tea, or alcoholic drinks in this particular study.
Conclusion
The researchers concluded that reducing the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages could be an effective strategy for breast cancer prevention, and that addressing the associated metabolic changes, such as managing weight and uric acid levels, might also be important.
It’s important to note that this study focused on older Chinese women, so the findings might not apply to all populations. Also, while the MR analysis helps to suggest causality, further research is always needed to confirm these findings and fully understand the mechanisms involved. Nevertheless, this research provides valuable insights into the potential role of beverage consumption, particularly SSBs, in breast cancer risk and highlights potential pathways for prevention.
References
Lin, X., Liang, B., Lam, T. H., Cheng, K. K., Zhang, W., & Xu, L. (2025). The mediating roles of anthropo-metabolic biomarkers on the association between beverage consumption and breast cancer risk. Nutrition Journal, 24(1), 46. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12937-025-01110-y
This post is based on Open Access research and is for informational purposes only.
