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A soft drink a day raises the chances of prostate cancer in men.

According to a new Swedish study, a normal-sized soft drink per day can raise the chances of men contracting more aggressive forms of prostate cancer.

"Among the men who drank a lot of soft drinks or other drinks with added sugar, we saw an increased risk of prostate cancer of around 40 percent," said Isabel Drake, a PhD student at Lund University.

For the study, the researchers followed over 8,000 men aged between 45 and 73 for about 15 years.

The findings of the study revealed that men who drank 330-millilitres of soft drink a day raised their chances of contracting severe forms of prostate cancer that required treatment by 40 percent.

Also, the cancer was diagnosed only after the men showed symptoms and not with the help of a screening process known as Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA), Medical Xpress reported.

People whose diet contained large amounts rice and pasta had greater chances (31 percent) of contracting milder forms of the disease, which often does not require treatment,  and people who ate more of sugary breakfast cereals raised their chances of contracting milder cancer by 38 percent, Drake told AFP.

Although there needs to be more research conducted before the dietary guidelines can be changed, Drake said that there are already many known reasons why one should cut down on soft drink consumption.

The participants of this study, along with keeping a dietary journal of food and drink intake, also underwent regular medical examinations.

Drake also added that more studies on how genes respond to different diets would make it possible to "tailor food and drink guidelines for certain high-risk groups."

The study will be published in the upcoming edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.