A long-running study of more than 112,000 people has surfaced a sobering association between daily sugary drink consumption and stomach cancer — one that persisted even after accounting for smoking, weight, diet, and other familiar culprits. Women appear especially vulnerable, facing roughly three times the risk of those who rarely consume such beverages. The finding cannot yet prove causation, but it adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that the quiet, habitual choices woven into daily life may carry consequences that accumulate quietly over decades.