Summary

Sugar sweetened soft drinks and fruit drinks are linked to an increase in the risk of type 2 diabetes. Soft drinks increase the risk through weight gain, while this was not so for fruit drinks. A better option would be pure orange or grapefruit juice which does not increase diabetes risk.

Introduction

Type 2 diabetes is a particular issue for African American women with incidence being twice that in white women in the United States. It is thought that overweight and obesity accounts for much of the increased diabetes risk among African American women. It is therefore of interest to identify those factors in the diet that might help alleviate the diabetes risk. Previously, it has been shown that soft drinks, which can be high in calories because of their sugar content, can increase diabetes risk. Less is known of the risk associated with fruit drinks, which includes fruit juices, squash and Kool Aid. These may be assumed to be 'healthy' because of their fruit content.

What was done

Julie Palmer of Boston University, and colleagues, looked at consumption data from the Black Women's Health Study, which is an ongoing follow-up of 59,000 African American women.

What was found

Around 17 % of participants drank at least one sugar-sweetened soft drink per day, 32 % had at least one sweetened fruit drink per day and 22 % had at least one glass of orange or grapefruit juice per day. Those consuming soft drinks were more likely to be overweight and have a poor diet. There were 2713 new cases of type 2 diabetes occurring during ten years of follow up. Risk of diabetes went up with consumption of both sugar-sweetened soft drinks and fruit drinks, except for consumption of orange and grapefruit juice which did not increase the risk. Women who consumed two or more soft drinks a day had a 24 % increased risk of type 2 diabetes compared to those who drank less than one soft drink per month. For sweetened fruit drinks, the corresponding risk was 31 %. For soft drinks alone, the risk seemed to occur through overweight and obesity, but this was not so for the fruit drinks.

What this study means

Soft drinks and sweetened fruit drinks add calories to the diet. They are often consumed in addition to solid food and they do not fill you up. Therefore they are not helpful if you are trying to keep to a healthy weight. The researchers point out that high-fructose corn syrup, which is a common sweetener in these products, is especially effective at promoting weight gain. What is more, both types of drinks have a high glycemic index, which means they lead to rapid increases in glucose and insulin concentrations, both of which could promote diabetes. Therefore, pure water, orange or grapefruit juices are probably the best options if you want to reduce your risk of diabetes.