The Unsweetened Truth: a Quantitative Analysis of Nutrition’s Impact on Cancer Incidence Among US Adults

Abstract

I quantify the impact of nutrition on cancer diagnoses in US adults through a series of four econometric analyses, focusing on the most common and deadly cancers. I begin by assessing the impact of unhealthy versus healthy nutrition, as delineated by medically-recommended consumption thresholds of added sugar and naturally-occurring fiber. Through linear probability models, I find that unhealthy individuals face higher cancer incidence, and healthy individuals have lower cancer rates. Then, I isolate added sugar as the unhealthy nutritional component that primarily drives the relationship to cancer diagnoses. Using probit models, I find that adults consuming unhealthy added sugar levels face higher probabilities of cancer. I perform a linear probability quartile analysis to find that individuals in the top quartile of sugar intake have significantly higher cancer incidence, while the inverse holds true for the bottom quartile. Finally, I test two instrumental variable models to minimize endogeneity in my cross-sectional data. My results reveal that cancer may be preventable through healthy nutrition, specifically by minimizing added sugar intake. My findings suggest the impact of empowering individuals with increased informational symmetry on the relationship between cancer and daily nutrition–and specifically, added sugar consumption.