Sweet drinks blamed for diabetes surge
Wednesday July 22nd, 2015
Sugary drinks may be responsible for up to 80,000 cases of type 2 diabetes in the UK over the last decade, researchers claim today.
"Current
evidence is limited to answer whether or not consumption of sugar sweetened
beverages, artificially sweetened beverages, and fruit juice is associated
with risk of diabetes after adjustment for obesity status," write
Dr Fumiaki Imamura of Cambridge University, UK, and colleagues in The
BMJ.
They used details from 17 studies including 38,253 diabetics, and found the risk of type 2 was positively associated with sweet drinks, regardless of obesity status.
Assuming a causal association, "consumption of sugar sweetened beverages may be linked to between 2% and 6% in the UK over the ten years, 2010-20," they write. "This study indicates the potential health gains that may be achieved by reducing the consumption of sugar sweetened drinks," they conclude.
Also in the same journal, further research indicates that birth weight and adult lifestyle may both influence diabetes risk. Dr Lu Qi of Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, and colleagues carried out a study on the joint effects of early and later life risks for type 2 diabetes.
They combined information from 149,794 healthy men and women taking part in three large trials for 20 to 30 years. During this time, 11,709 new cases of type 2 diabetes were diagnosed. A lifestyle score was given based on diet, smoking, physical activity, alcohol consumption, and body mass index (BMI).
This showed "consistent associations" between low birth weight and risk of type 2 diabetes, and between unhealthy lifestyle and risk of type 2 diabetes. The team calculated that 17% of diabetes cases occur due to the interaction of lower birth weight and unhealthier lifestyle.
Imamura, F. et al. Consumption of sugar sweetened beverages, artificially sweetened beverages, and fruit juice and incidence of type 2 diabetes: systematic review, meta-analysis, and estimation of population attributable fraction. BMJ 22 July 2015; doi: 10.1136/bmj.h3576
Li, Y. et al. Birth weight and later life adherence to unhealthy lifestyles in predicting type 2 diabetes: prospective cohort study. BMJ 22 July 2015; doi: 10.1136/bmj.h3672 [abstract]
Tags: Diabetes | Diet & Food | UK News
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