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Replacing one sugary drink per day may lower type 2 diabetes risk
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Drinking water or unsweetened coffee or tea in place of one soft drink or sweetened milk beverage per day may reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes by up 25%, according to research in Diabetologia.
The results, part of a large population-based cancer and nutrition study in the United Kingdom, also showed that each 5% increase of energy intake from sweet beverages was associated with an 18% higher risk for type 2 diabetes, according to researchers.
Nita Forouhi, MRCP, PhD, FFPHM, of the University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, and colleagues analyzed data from 25,639 adults aged 40 to 79 years without diabetes living in Norfolk, U.K., who participated in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Norfolk study between 1993 and 1997. Researchers assessed beverage consumption using detailed, 7-day food diaries.
Nita Forouhi
During 10.8 years of follow-up, there were 847 verified cases of type 2 diabetes.
After adjusting for multiple factors, including BMI and waist circumference, researchers observed a higher type 2 diabetes incidence per serving of soft drinks (HR = 1.14; 95% CI, 1.01-1.32) and sweetened milk beverages (HR = 1.27; 95% CI, 1.09-1.48).
Substituting water (HR = 0.86; 95% CI, 0.74-0.99) for soft drinks and sweetened milk beverages (HR = 0.8; 95% CI, 0.67-0.94) was estimated to reduce type 2 diabetes incidence, as was consuming unsweetened tea (HR = 0.86; 95% CI, 0.73-0.99) or coffee (HR = 0.75; 95% CI, 0.63-0.86) in place of the same drinks. Consuming unsweetened tea or coffee was inversely associated with type 2 diabetes (HR = 0.92; 95% CI, 0.89-0.96); and substituting either in place of a sweetened version reduced the incidence of type 2 diabetes (HR = 0.96; 95% CI, 0.92-0.99).
The study also is the first to include sweetened milk beverages — drinks such as flavored milk and milkshakes — besides typical sweetened beverages, such as colas, soft drinks and juice, as a potential contributor to type 2 diabetes, according to researchers.
“Although this finding should be replicated in other studies, it certainly sounds a note of caution that the past focus solely on nonmilk-sweetened drinks may miss out on an important class of sweetened beverages that could be related with adverse health effects through the nonmilk-free sugars,” Forouhi told Endocrine Today.
More research is needed to get a better understanding of the relationship between regularly consuming artificially sweetened beverages, such as diet drinks, and risk for type 2 diabetes, Forouhi said.
“This is a complex area to tease out because people who are already overweight or obese tend to consume [artificially sweetened beverages] in preference to the sugary options as part of weight control, with potential for so-called reverse causation,” Forouhi said. “In our study, once obesity was accounted for, there was no demonstrable relationship between [artificially sweetened beverages] consumption and type 2 diabetes, but replacing [artificially sweetened beverages] for sugary drinks was not associated with a significant reduction in diabetes risk, and this deserves further research to unravel the complicated relationships between these drinks, obesity, weight change and disease outcomes.” – by Regina Schaffer
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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