Study: Diet Rich in Sucrose May Be Linked to Colon Cancer

Danish researchers report a study of the effect of diets rich in sucrose in rats provided evidence that suggests a possible direct link between level of sucrose intake and colon cancer in humans.

Reporting in the journal Cancer Research, the researchers said they added sucrose at different dose levels to the diets to a strain of rats, and observed a corresponding increase -- varying directly by sucrose level -- in mutations in the colon.

The said the study was the first demonstration in an animal test that increased dietary sucrose causes a genotoxic action.

"Both sucrose intake and colon cancer rates are high in the Western world, and our present results call for an examination of a possible direct relationship between the two," the researchers concluded.

Other sources: Cancer Research