Diabetes experts call for water for sugar instead of water for sugar

Sweet soft drinks: strategy against the sugar bombs
Obesity, diabetes, tooth decay: The frequent consumption of sweet soft drinks carries a lot of health risks. Nutrition experts and physicians therefore advise against such drinks. A strategy against sugar bombs and an effective way to prevent diabetes is to drink more water.

High sugar consumption makes you sick
Health experts warn again and again: Avoid too high sugar consumption. The sweetener can lead to enormous health problems such as tooth decay, obesity, high blood pressure or diabetes when consumed frequently. Much sugar is added via sweet lemonades. Such soft drinks are often the cause of obesity. Some experts say that you can tackle the problem with a sugar-fat tax, as they already exist in some countries. However, a majority of Germans reject the sugar tax. From Austria experts report on a simple strategy against the sugar bombs.

Instead of soft drinks, more water should be drunk to avoid overweight and health problems. (Image: Monkey Business / fotolia.com)

Reduce consumption of liquid "sugar bombs"
"Water for sugar instead of water with sugar" is the motto of the Austrian Diabetes Association (ÖDG) in order to efficiently prevent overweight and diabetes. A special thorn in the eye are the medicines sweetened soft drinks. As news agency APA reports, they want more consumer awareness and legislators' incentives that reduce the consumption of liquid "sugar bombs". Numerous studies have shown that conscious consumption of fluid can help prevent obesity. "But that only applies to tap water, mineral waters and unsweetened teas," said ÖDG President Hermann Toplak. Even supposedly healthy drinks such as smoothies have a high sugar content.

"Soft drinks are not that soft"
Toplak, who is a metabolism expert at the Outpatient Clinic for Lipid Metabolism at the University of Graz's University of Internal Medicine, warned that choosing the wrong drink to quench your thirst may even increase the risk of being overweight and promote diabetes. "In the type certificate of man is water, fueled in the translated sense but mostly kerosene," said the expert. Various studies have shown in recent years that there is a strong correlation between the consumption of so-called soft drinks and the development of obesity and its complications such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. "One liter of a soft drink has about 500 calories, since you have almost" drunk "a Leberkäse roll without being full. The soft drinks are not so soft when it comes to our health, but highly dangerous, "said Helmuth Brath from the Vienna-South Health Center.

Warnings could be an option
The ÖDG called for a socio-political discussion: "The legislator can provide incentives to reduce the consumption of soft drinks. For example, a tax will be levied on sweet drinks in Mexico, "Toplak said. Similar measures have been taken in other countries. For example, France introduced a "cola tax" years ago. Although it would not necessarily be a tax in the Alpine republic, but "mandatory and visible warnings are another option to make the issue aware," said the Graz physician. He wishes that the different proven models are examined for their suitability. "One can not take the results of interventions in Hungary, Mexico or Great Britain one to one for Austria. Here, many local-regional factors of diet and physical activity play a role, "says Toplak.

Drink enough water daily
The answer to the question of how much water should we drink is not the same for all people. According to an expert of the German Nutrition Society (DGE), the "absolute lower limit" is one liter per day. According to other experts, people excrete about 2.5 liters of water per day through sweating and metabolic processes. To compensate for this loss, an adult should drink about one and a half liters daily. The remaining amount of fluid is absorbed by the food. In heat and thus increased perspiration it may also be quiet three liters or more.

Effect on the blood sugar level
Sugar-sweetened beverages, as they say in the APA report, would not only contribute to obesity, but also insulin resistance (as a precursor to type 2 diabetes) through their effect on blood sugar levels and their low level of satiety. In a press release, Prof. Toplak explained: "Part of the fluid requirement can also be covered by light drinks, as they also help to save calories. Here, however, it should be remembered that the taste perception is conditioned by it more and more on "sweet". "However, other experts see this differently and advise against consuming light drinks, since the sweetener contained could also be associated with a risk of diabetes. (Ad)