A new study by the Karolinska Institutet reports that heavy consumption of sweetened foods and feeds increases the risk of pancreatic cancer. High consumption of fizzy drinks, creamy fruits and coffee with sugar are the three most common ways to increase this risk. Pancreatic cancer is a very serious type of cancer that can result from the disruption of glucose metabolism and the production of higher levels of insulin by the pancreas. The well-known way to increase insulin production is to eat a lot of sugar. Scientists now say for the first time that the consumption of sugar-sweetened food and feed affects a person’s chances of developing pancreatic cancer. The study began in 1997, when scientists surveyed the diets of 80,000 healthy men and women and monitored them through June 2005. According to the cancer registry, 131 people in this group developed pancreatic cancer. Researchers are now able to infer that developing pancreatic cancer is linked to sugar in food. Those most at risk were those who consumed large amounts of fizzy or syrupy drinks. In this group, those who consumed two or more of these beverages per day had a 90 percent higher risk than those who never consumed such beverages. Those who added sugar to their food or drink (coffee) at least 5 times a day had a 70% higher risk than those who never added sugar. People who eat creamed fruit (a food similar to fluffy jam) at least once a day also have a higher risk of developing the disease. Their risk of pancreatic cancer was 50% higher than those who never ate creamed fruit.