Snoring and Cancer Headlines: What the Study Measured

A headline linking snoring with cancer can sound alarming. The 2012 Wisconsin Sleep Cohort study behind many such reports examined sleep-disordered breathing and cancer mortality. It did not establish that the sound of snoring causes cancer.

What the study measured

Researchers followed 1,522 participants for 22 years and assessed sleep-disordered breathing using overnight polysomnography. Severe sleep-disordered breathing was associated with higher cancer mortality after adjustment for age, sex, body mass index and smoking.

What the headline cannot tell you

This observational result is an association, not proof of causation. Cancer mortality is also different from the risk of developing cancer. The study did not test whether reducing snoring prevents cancer or improves cancer treatment.

Three questions for reading a health headline

• What was measured? Look for the study’s actual outcome rather than relying on a broad word such as “risk.”
• Who was compared? Check whether the headline describes the same people and condition as the research.
• Was a treatment tested? A study observing a relationship is not automatically evidence for a product advertised beside it.

Keep these questions with the article when discussing it with your healthcare professional. They help separate the research finding from the decisions you need to make personally.

What does this mean for Asonor?

The study did not test Asonor. It provides no basis for claiming that Asonor prevents cancer, improves cancer survival or treats sleep apnea. Asonor’s intended effect is local lubrication and hydration in the throat for snoring reduction. Follow the product instructions, and do not change medical treatment because of a headline or a change in snoring.

Original research

Nieto et al. Sleep-disordered breathing and cancer mortality: results from the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort Study. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (2012).