Drinking one 12 ounce (about 335ml) serving size of sugar-sweetened soft drink a day can be enough to increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 22%, a UK study has found, and the risk increases by 22% with each extra soft drink consumed.
The research, published in the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, found that the increased risk of diabetes among sugar-sweetened soft drink consumers in Europe is similar to that found in a recent analysis of previous studies that were conducted in North America.
The researchers from the Imperial College in London used data on consumption of juices and nectars, sugar-sweetened soft drinks and artificially sweetened soft drinks collected across eight European countries, involving 350,000 participants. The countries involved in the study were France, Italy, Spain, Denmark, the UK, the Netherlands, Germany and Sweden.
The increased risk fell slightly to 18% when total energy intake and body mass index (BMI) were accounted for. Both these factors are thought to mediate the association between sugar-sweetened soft drink consumption and diabetes incidence. This could indicate that the effect of sugar-sweetened soft drink on diabetes goes beyond its effect on body weight.
The study’s authors also observed a statistically significant increase in the incidence of type 2 diabetes related to artificially sweetened soft drink consumption, but this significant association disappeared after taking into account the BMI of participants. The authors said this probably indicated that the association was not causal but driven by the weight of the participants. In other words, participants with a higher body weight tend to report higher consumption of artificially sweetened drinks, and are also more likely to develop diabetes.
Pure fruit juice and nectar consumption was not significantly associated with diabetes incidence, but the researchers said it was not possible using the data available to study separately the effect of 100% pure juices from those with added sugars.
The researchers said the increased risk of diabetes among sugar-sweetened soft drink consumers in Europe is similar to that found in previous studies conducted mostly in North America. The American analysis found a 25% increased risk of type 2 diabetes associated with one 12 ounce daily increment of sugar-sweetened beverage consumption.
“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 Dr Dora Romaguera, one of the study’s authors.
The study was a component of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study. The EPIC study was designed to investigate the relationship between diet, nutritional status, lifestyle and environmental factors and the incidence of cancer and other chronic diseases.
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