Using data from 350,000 people in eight European countries, researchers found that every extra 340ml serving of sugar-sweetened drink raises the risk of diabetes by 22%, compared with drinking just one can a month or less.
“Given the increase in sweet beverage consumption in Europe, clear messages on the unhealthy effect of these drinks should be given to the population,” said Dora Romaguera, who led with study with a team at Imperial College London.
The findings echo similar conclusions from research in the United States, where several studies have shown that intake of sugar-sweetened drinks is strongly linked with higher body weight and conditions such as type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes is a long-term condition characterised by insulin resistance. The World Health Organisation says it affects more than 310 million people worldwide.
Dr Romaguera-Bosch’s team wanted to establish whether a link between sugary drinks and diabetes risk also existed in Europe.
The researchers used data on consumption of juices and nectars, sugar-sweetened soft drinks and artificially sweetened beverages collected across eight European patient groups participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition, also known as EPIC.
They were questioned about their diet, including how many sugary and artificially sweetened soft drinks and juices they drank each day.
Writing in the journal Diabetologia, the researchers said their study ‘corroborates the association between increased incidence of type 2 diabetes and high consumption of sugar-sweetened soft drinks in European adults’.
Responding to the story, British Soft Drinks Association director general Gavin Partington said: “It is well-known that diabetes is the result of many different factors, including obesity and family history. This study does not look at causation and so cannot tell us if consuming soft drinks, or any other food or drink, is a further cause of diabetes. In addition, the survey is based on information about people’s food choices that is up to 16 years old, which is not going to be a very good guide as to what people are eating and drinking today.
“Soft drinks are safe to consume but, like all other food and drink, should be consumed in moderation as part of a balanced diet.”
Source: Reuters/BBC/BSDA
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