The incidence of type 2 diabetes has risen sharply in recent decades (eg the rate of Type 2 diabetes in the US nearly doubled from 1990 to 2002). From 1977 to 1997, the consumption of soft drinks has risen in the US by around 61% (in adults) and around 100% in children over a similar time period.
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Reseachers, Schulze et al (1) believe that the consumption of sugar sweetened soft drinks may contribute to obesity and may increase the risk of diabetes by raising blood glucose levels (an average can of sugar sweetened drink contains around 8 teaspoons of sugar!).
The study of more than 90 000 women in Boston and Harvard area indicated that women who drank one or more sugary drinks a day had an 83% greater chance of developing type 2 diabetes than women
who drank less than one a month. The study showed that over a four year period, the gain in weight was highest among those who had increased their soft drink consumption from one or fewer drinks a week
to one of more a day.
Although the researchers adjusted their findings to account for increases in other kinds of foods and snacks (such as chips, sweets, red meat, etc) and levels of exercise and other lifestyle/environmental issues, the researchers claim that the increase can attributed to drinking soft drinks.
An unhealthy Body Mass Index (BMI) and genetics are considered to be the largest risk factors for type 2 diabetes. However, the association of soft drink consumption to diabetes was significant even when weight gain and BMI (Body Mass Index) increases were taken into account.
A professor in Nutrition and Food Studies at New York University stated:
"The minute you start to think of soda as dessert or liquid candy, you think about it differently....You wouldn't let your child eat candy all day. But people will let their children drink soda all day."
The researchers in the study recommend that "public health strategies to prevent obesity and type 2 diabetes should focus on reducing sugar sweetened beverage consumption." So ditch the soft drinks and try a glass of iced water with slice of lemon instead!
(1) Sugar-Sweetened Beverages, Weight Gain, and Incidence of Type 2 Diabetes in Young and Middle-Aged Women
Matthias B. Schulze, DrPH; JoAnn E. Manson, MD; David S. Ludwig, MD; Graham A. Colditz, MD; Meir J. Stampfer, MD; Walter C. Willett, MD; Frank B. Hu, MD
Journal of the American Medical Assocation. 2004;292:927-934.
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