Consumption of Sweetened Beverages Is Not Associated with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Findings of a recent meta-analysis as well as a large, ongoing European cohort study show an association between heavier consumption of sweetened beverages and increased risk for developing ulcerative colitis. To examine that association further, investigators analyzed food frequency questionnaire data and incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) among 83,000 participants enrolled in either the Swedish Mammography Study or the Cohort of Swedish Men — both large, prospective cohort studies.

From 1997 to 2014, there were 143 incident cases of Crohn disease and 349 of ulcerative colitis. Higher consumption of sweetened beverages was not associated with increased risk for Crohn disease or ulcerative colitis. These associations were not modi…