In the past, there have been numerous studies linking soda and diabetes, particularly type 2, an illness also often associated with the current obesity epidemic - however, a new study has found that it's not necessary for a person to be obese for the consumption of sugary drinks to lead them to this illness.
Scientists in the University of Cambridge have discovered further links between soda and diabetes in a recent paper, after they reviewed a lot of past research on the subject of diabetes, and it was found that drinks with a lot of sugar (such as sodas, energy drinks and many juices), can lead to a person's type-2 diabetes regardless of their size.
According to Science Daily, the paper tracing the relation between soda and diabetes was published in the latest issue of the British Medical Journal (BMJ), under the title "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."
Forbes reports that, for the soda and diabetes study, the research team reviewed 17 high quality studies on consumption of beverages and the development of type 2 diabetes, and they found that those who consumed at least one sugary drink per day (whatever it may be) had an increased risk of 18 percent of developing diabetes within the next 10 years - and, surprisingly enough, adjusting that percentage to individuals with normal weight, the risk was still fairly high at 13 percent.
BT reports that the relation between soda and diabetes was so strong that researchers calculate that 2 to 6 percent of type-2 diabetes cases in the United Kingdom and 4 to 13 percent of the cases in the United States were due to beverages high on sugar.
"Although more research on cause and effect needs to be carried out, this study indicates the potential health gains that may be achieved by reducing the consumption of sugar sweetened drinks," the researchers behind the soda and diabetes study wrote.
