Already two sweet soft drinks daily double the risk of diabetes

Physicians are studying the effects of using soft drinks
Many people in the world are suffering from the effects of diabetes. Researchers have now found that consuming just two sugary and carbonated drinks a day can double the risk of developing diabetes. This also applies to the diet versions of such drinks.

The scientists of the Swedish Karolinska Institute found in an investigation that already two sugar and carbonated drinks per day can double the risk for diabetes. It makes no difference whether these drinks are diet versions. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "European Journal of Endocrinology".

So-called soft drinks usually contain a lot of sugar or artificial sweeteners. Daily consumption of such drinks can significantly increase the likelihood of developing diabetes. It makes no difference whether the drinks are diet versions of the soft drinks. (Image: Jag_cz / fotolia.com)

Physicians are studying 2,800 participants for their study
In the study of 2,800 subjects, the authors of the current study found that consuming at least two 200ml servings of a carbonated and non-alcoholic soft drink increases the risk of Type 2 diabetes by up to 2.4 times.

One liter of soft drink increases the risk of diabetes 10-fold
Many carbonated drinks are sold in 330ml cans. That's why one and a half doses are enough to double the risk of diabetes. If people ingest a whole liter of these sugary or artificially sweetened drinks daily, their risk will even increase 10-fold, the researchers explain.

Disadvantages of sweeteners in soft drinks
The artificial sweeteners in the diet drinks can stimulate the appetite and thus lead to an increase in food intake. Such sweeteners can also affect microbes in the gut and trigger glucose intolerance in this way.

Sugary drinks increase the risk of autoimmune latent diabetes
Non-alcoholic sugary drinks affect glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity. This leads to an increased risk of autoimmune latent diabetes, a special form of type 2 diabetes, the researchers say. We were surprised by the identified risk, next we will look for ways to counteract this risk, explains the author Josefin Edwall Löfvenborg.

Risk of sugary drinks and diet sodas is the same
Although other factors have been taken into account, such as energy intake, higher BMI or generally poor diet, the risks for type 2 diabetes have nevertheless increased significantly, say the experts. A very interesting finding was that the higher risk of sweet and artificially sweetened drinks was the same. This suggests that an increased risk of diabetes is not directly related to a higher calorie intake or to undesirable metabolic effects of sugar (in the form of sucrose), the physicians add.

Other negative effects of soft drinks
Other studies have already examined the health effects of so-called soft drinks. For example, a Harvard University study found that consuming two soda cans of a soft drink increases the risk of heart attack by a third and the risk of stroke by about one-sixth, say the experts. Another study linked consumption of sugary drinks to an increased risk of prostate cancer. Consuming 300ml of such carbonated soft drinks increases the likelihood of prostate cancer by about 40%. In addition, regular consumption can reduce the likelihood of pregnancy even in women, explain the doctors. Artificial sweeteners in diet sodas lead to lower fertility rates. Sugary drinks were associated with poorer quality of eggs and embryos. (As)