Study Links Diabetes to Sweet Drinks

Regular consumption of beverages sweetened with sugar is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome, according to a recent study by the Harvard School of Public Health published online in Diabetes Care last Wednesday.

Researchers at HSPH combined findings from 11 existing studies to produce a single meta-analysis through which they could observe the relationship.

“This study had a lot more power than the previous individual studies, because it pooled together all the cases and all the participants,” said lead author and HSPH nutrition research fellow Vasanti Malik. Combining past research allowed Malik and her team to look at 300,000 participants, according to the press release.

The findings show that those who drink one to two sugar-sweetened beverages every day increase their risk of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome—a condition that often precedes diabetes—by 20 percent compared to those who consume less than one sugary beverage every month, according to Malik. In addition, consuming one additional sugary beverage every day will increase the risk of type 2 diabetes by 15 percent.

“All of these numbers are statistically significant, because they show a clear and significant association between sugar-sweetened beverage intake and diabetes and metabolic syndrome,” said Malik. “This provides a rational for people to limit their intake and to find a healthy alternative.”

While previous research has consistently linked sugary drinks to weight gain and obesity, this particular study connected these drinks—which include sweetened soft drinks, fruit drinks, iced tea, energy drinks, or Vitaminwater—to both type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome, said Malik.

Malik noted that these findings could prove significant to government policy.

“This evidence could have a real public health impact,” Malik said, pointing, for example, to the potential effects of the findings on assisting the fight to eliminate vending machines from schools or to limit on what can be bought with food stamps.

“In New York City, it’s a hot topic debate about whether food stamps should be allowed for purchasing sugar-sweetened beverages.” Malik said. “The evidence of this study can be used for putting policy into place.”

Malik said that no follow-up to the study is planned at this point.