Fizzy drinks linked to cancer of the gullet
A study presented at an American conference found a "very significant correlation" between the growth in popularity of carbonated drinks and cancer of the oesophagus.
But other scientists questioned the conclusions and said more study was needed.
Researchers at the Tata Memorial Hospital in India found from US government data that consumption of fizzy drinks in the US increased five-fold in the last 50 years.
In the last 25 years the rate of oesophageal cancer has increased six fold in white men the group which consumes most carbonated drinks.
The same trend was found in the UK and Australia, where fizzy drink consumption has also increased.
But in countries like China and Japan, where the craze has been much slower to catch on, there was no rise in cancers affecting the oesophagus which connects the mouth and stomach.
Dr Mohandas Mallath, head of the digestive diseases department at Tata Memorial Hospital, said; "The surprisingly strong correlation demonstrates the impact of diet patterns on health trends.
"As the rates may continue to rise for another 20 years, we believe that more epidemiological studies are urgently required to establish the true association."
The findings were presented to a Digestive Disease Week conference of gastro-intestinal specialists in New Orleans, Louisiana and published in New Scientist.
Lee Kaplan, of Massachusetts General Hospital, said: "This is only a correlation and doesn't in any way indicate causality.
"There are a whole variety of things that occur in modern society. Refrigerators are associated with cancer but they don't cause it." He added that people who drink large amounts of carbonated drinks may have other lifestyle factors which lead to cancer, such as being overweight.
Previous research suggests fizzy drinks may cause the gut to become acidic for long periods of time.
Some scientists have theorised that this may be linked to cancers of the gullet.
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