Sugary drinks increase risk of endometrial cancer Maki Inoue-Choi, who led this study at the school of public health at the University of Minnesota, said: "Other studies have shown increasing consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages has paralleled the increase in obesity. Obese women tend to have higher levels of estrogens and insulin than women of normal weight. Increased levels of estrogens and insulin are established risk factors for endometrial cancer. The researchers, whose findings are published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, also examined whether other sweetened food increased the risk. They found no association between sweet snacks, cakes or starchy foods and cancer. Sugar free soft drinks also did not appear to increase the risk of cancer. Around 8,300 women are diagnosed with uterine cancer each year in the UK and roughtly 1,900 die as a result of the disease.