Just a third of a can of fizzy drink a day can raise your risk of cancer, research suggests – and fruit juice is just as risky.

Experts found that just 100ml of sugary drink could raise your risk of the disease by 18 per cent – a typical can is around 330ml.

Among women, researchers found a 22% increased risk of breast cancer.

French researchers believe that sugar in the drinks causes our bodies to store more fat around the liver and pancreas, and this has been linked to a higher risk of cancer.

But they said their findings showed an association and could not prove that sugary drinks definitely caused cancer.

The link was suggested by a study, published in the British Medical Journal, that followed more than 100,000 people in France for five years.

The team at Université Sorbonne Paris Cité speculate that the impact of blood sugar levels may be to blame.

However, the study is far from definitive proof and experts have called for more research.

Dr Mathilde Touvier said: ‘Sugary drinks are known to be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, overweight, obesity and diabetes.

‘But what we show is they are also associated, maybe, with cancer risk.’

Fruit juices ‘just as bad for your health as fizzy drinks’

Drinking fruit juices could increase your risk of an early death just as much as drinking cola and lemonade, new research suggests.

A US study found very little difference from choosing 100% fruit juices over other drinks with artificial or added sugar.

Those who drank a daily 350ml glass of juice had a 24% greater chance of dying during the study, compared to an 11% increase among those drinking any daily sugary soft drink.