Drinking carbonated soft drinks does not appear to increase the chances of developing esophageal cancer, and diet colas just might help protect against deadly disease, research from Yale University suggests. Diet cola drinkers were less likely to develop a specific type of esophageal cancer (esophageal adenocarcinoma) than people who didn’t drink colas as often or didn’t drink them at all, the study found.

        According the researchers that other factors, such as leading a healthier lifestyle, may explain the observed protective effect among diet cola drinkers. There was no evidence that carbonated beverages are contributing in any way to the epidemic of this cancer. Cancer of the esophagus is one of the fastest growing malignancies in the western world.lt is often fatal because it is rarely diagnosed until the disease has become fairly advanced.

        Food that you swallow travels through the tube-like esophagus to reach the stomach. A more than threefold increase in one type of cancer called esophageal adenocarcinoma within the past three decades has coincided with an equally large increase in soft drink consumption. This has led to speculation that the popularity of bubbly beverages may be at least partly to blame for the cancer rise. Gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a risk factor for this caner and Barret’s esophagus, and colas can contribute to heartburn symptoms and GERD.

        In one of the first scientific studies to examine the theory, the researchers compared soda drinking patterns among 1,095 patients with esophageal and related stomach cancers and 687 people without cancer.

        They found that the people without cancer on average than people who developed cancer. Those who drank the most cola beverages were no more likely to have developed esophageal cancer than those who drank the least. High consumption of diet, but not regular carbonated sift drinks was associated with a significant reduction in esophageal adenocarcinoma, the cancer type that is on the rise.

        The theory that soft drinks could be causing this cancer was picked up by the media and widely disseminated, however, there was no direct evidence to bear on this hypothesis until we initiated the analysis, they say.

        So who’s to blame for the dramatic rise in esophageal adenocarcinomas? The research suggest that the biggest contributing factor may be the rise in obesity, which in turn, may be a leading contributing may be the rise in gastroesophageal reflux disease, also known as GERD .Acid reflux disease is a recognized risk factor for esophageal cancer.

        The current thinking is that the most likely culprit is obesity and gastroesophageal reflux, says the American Cancer Society.

        They pointed out that there has actually been a decline in the incidence in another type of esophageal cancer—esophageal squamous cell disease—within the past few years. Major risk factors for this cancer include smoking and heavy alcohol consumption.