Sugary beverages linked to type 2 diabetes

Drinking sugary drinks could be causing almost 8000 cases of type 2 diabetes a year, according to research.

However, assuming a causal association, they estimate that two million new-onset type 2 diabetes events in the US and 80,000 in the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2020 would be related to consumption of sugar sweetened beverages.

While the link between obesity and diabetes is accepted, the study sought to show whether the drinks alone could cause the condition.

Artificially sweetened beverages included low-caloric soft drinks, while fruit juice was defined as 100 per cent fruit juice, or fruit juice assessed separately from fruit drinks.

However they added that both artificially sweetened beverages and fruit juice were unlikely to be healthy alternatives to sugar-sweetened beverages for the prevention of type 2 diabetes.

People who have one sugary drink a day were 18 per cent more likely to be diabetic, they found.

They found that habitual consumption of sugar sweetened drinks was positively associated with incidence of type 2 diabetes, independently of obesity status.

The news comes just days after guidelines were published recommending that sugar should be no more than 5% of a person’s diet.

Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, said last week that there was “absolutely no reason” that children should drink fizzy drinks.

Dr. Imamura and team looked at 17 previous studies on a total of 38,253 patients with type 2 diabetes.

They point out that the studies analysed were observational, so no definitive conclusions can be drawn about cause and effect. It has also been linked to type 2 diabetes.

Almost 12,000 new cases of type 2 diabetes were found, with consistent associations found between low birth weight and unhealthy lifestyle.

Kawther Hashem, nutritionist at the Action on Sugar campaign group, said: ‘More evidence is showing the alarming impact of sugary drinks on our health, the healthcare service and the economy.

The findings were, however, dismissed by the industry.

“So, we hope this study stimulates future research and future debate or post-interventions to reduce people’s consumption of sugar sweetened beverages”.

‘The persistent focus on a single ingredient or product is neither helpful to consumers nor based on evidence of the importance of a balanced diet overall.’.