Dropping One Sugary Soda a Day Could Cut Diabetes Risk: Study
Dropping One Sugary Soda a Day Could Cut Diabetes Risk: Study
Drinking water, unsweetened tea or coffee instead lowered chances of blood sugar disease by 25 percent
THURSDAY, April 30, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- People who love sugary sodas and flavored milk may have a heightened risk of type 2 diabetes, regardless of their body weight, a large new study finds.
The good news, the researchers said, is that swapping just one of those drinks each day -- for water or unsweetened coffee or tea -- could lower diabetes risk by up to 25 percent.
The findings, reported online April 30 in the journal Diabetologia, add to a large body of evidence linking sugary drinks and type 2 diabetes. Type 2 is the most common form of diabetes, and often affects people who are obese.
But a number of studies, including this latest one, have found that heavier body weight does not completely explain the connection between sugary drinks and diabetes risk.
This study can't answer the question of why, said lead researcher Dr. Nita Forouhi, of the University of Cambridge, in the United Kingdom. But other research has offered some theories, she added.
"The metabolic effects of sweetened drinks include rapid spikes in blood glucose [sugar] and insulin levels," Forouhi said.
Insulin is a hormone that controls blood sugar levels. Over time, spikes in blood sugar and insulin can cause people to lose their sensitivity to the hormone -- and that insulin resistance is the precursor to type 2 diabetes.
These new findings cannot prove that a daily soft drink directly causes diabetes, Forouhi said. But coupled with existing research, they make a strong case for cause-and-effect, she added.
"Our findings provide strong support to the recent guidance from the World Health Organization to limit the consumption of free sugars in our diet," Forouhi said. "Limiting the intake of sweetened beverages provides an easy way to achieve such a goal."
The findings are based on detailed food diaries from over 25,000 middle-aged and older British adults, who were diabetes-free when they entered the study. Over the next decade, 847 were diagnosed with the disease.
Overall, the study found, the more sugary soda or sweetened milk that people consumed, the higher their risk of developing diabetes. For every extra daily serving, the risk of diabetes rose by about 22 percent.
Dropping 1 Sugary Soda a Day May Cut Diabetes Risk
Drinking water, unsweetened tea or coffee instead lowered chances of blood sugar disease by 25 percent
THURSDAY, April 30, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- People who love sugary sodas and flavored milk may have a heightened risk of type 2 diabetes, regardless of their body weight, a large new study finds.
The good news, the researchers said, is that swapping just one of those drinks each day -- for water or unsweetened coffee or tea -- could lower diabetes risk by up to 25 percent.
The findings, reported online April 30 in the journal Diabetologia, add to a large body of evidence linking sugary drinks and type 2 diabetes. Type 2 is the most common form of diabetes, and often affects people who are obese.
But a number of studies, including this latest one, have found that heavier body weight does not completely explain the connection between sugary drinks and diabetes risk.
This study can't answer the question of why, said lead researcher Dr. Nita Forouhi, of the University of Cambridge, in the United Kingdom. But other research has offered some theories, she added.
"The metabolic effects of sweetened drinks include rapid spikes in blood glucose [sugar] and insulin levels," Forouhi said.
Insulin is a hormone that controls blood sugar levels. Over time, spikes in blood sugar and insulin can cause people to lose their sensitivity to the hormone -- and that insulin resistance is the precursor to type 2 diabetes.
These new findings cannot prove that a daily soft drink directly causes diabetes, Forouhi said. But coupled with existing research, they make a strong case for cause-and-effect, she added.
"Our findings provide strong support to the recent guidance from the World Health Organization to limit the consumption of free sugars in our diet," Forouhi said. "Limiting the intake of sweetened beverages provides an easy way to achieve such a goal."
The findings are based on detailed food diaries from over 25,000 middle-aged and older British adults, who were diabetes-free when they entered the study. Over the next decade, 847 were diagnosed with the disease.
Overall, the study found, the more sugary soda or sweetened milk that people consumed, the higher their risk of developing diabetes. For every extra daily serving, the risk of diabetes rose by about 22 percent.
