Substituting Unsweetened Drinks For Sugary Ones Cuts Risk Of Diabetes

A British study has found a link between sugary drinks and the onset of type 2 diabetes. According to the researchers, who gathered data on 25,000 adults up to age 79, found that for every five percent increase in sugary drink calories as a proportion of total calories consumed, the risk of developing type 2 diabetes rose 18 percent. They analyzed various types of sugary beverages: soft drinks, sweetened tea or coffee, sweetened milk drinks, artificially sweetened beverages (ASB), and fruit juice. When they examined what would happened if water, unsweetened tea or coffee, or ASB were substituted for sugary drinks, they found that the risk of type 2 diabetes dropped by 14 to 25 percent.