Drinking sugary beverages raises the risk of type 2 diabetes more than eating sugary foods, claims a new study
The research, from Brigham Young University (BYU) in the US, found that sugary drinks – including sodas and fruit juices – were associated with a higher risk of developing the disease, while no such connection was observed for sugar consumed through food.
Dr Karen Della Corte, lead author of the study and BYU nutrition science professor, said that the study “highlights why drinking your sugar – whether from soda or juice – is more problematic for health than eating it.”
The scientists analysed the results of 29 studies, involving more than half a million people in Europe, America, Asia and Oceania, to find out which sources of sugar were more closely associated with developing type 2 diabetes.
They found that every 340ml (12oz) of sugar-sweetened beverages – meaning soft drinks, energy drinks and sports drinks – was associated with a 25 per cent higher risk of type 2 diabetes.
Fruit juice – including pure fruit juice as well as juice drinks – seemed to have a similar, if weaker, effect. Each additional 226ml (8oz) serving per day was associated with a higher type 2 diabetes risk by five per cent.
These risks were relative – so, if a person’s baseline risk of developing type 2 diabetes was 10 per cent, drinking four sodas per day could raise that risk to roughly 20 per cent.
But dietary sugar – including fruit sugar, table sugar and total sugar – was not associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes. In some cases, it could be linked with a lower risk.
Because the study was observational, it cannot confirm that sugary drinks directly cause type 2 diabetes – only that people who consumed more of them were more likely to develop the condition.
The researchers adjusted their analysis to account for calorie intake, obesity, and other lifestyle factors. This allowed them to focus specifically on the effects of sugar itself, rather than the impact of consuming too many calories overall.
But still, Della Corte claimed the results underscored a need for nutritional recommendations to be more strictly against liquid sugars, including fruit juice, due to their links to worse health. “Rather than condemning all sugars, future dietary guidelines might consider the differential effects of sugar based on its source and form,” she said.
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