Thin But Diabetic: Regular Consumption of Soda Increases Risk of Diabetes

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A new study at the University of Cambridge led by Dr. Fumiaki Imamura reveals that regularly consuming drinks containing high levels of sugar, such as soda and other sucrose-based powder drinks, may increase the risk for developing type 2 diabetes in individuals, regardless of their weight.

Additionally, it is highly recommended that people limit the consumption of sugary drinks to a minimum.

"Our study suggests that if everyone reduces soft sugary drinks, everyone gets the benefit," Imamura told BBC. 

Age, obesity and inactivity (from a sedentary lifestyle) have also been attributed as strong factors in developing the disease, as explained by Professor Tom Sanders, previously a professor of nutrition and dietetics at King's College London.

Aside from diabetes, Medical Daily reports that other known effects of the consumption of sugary beverages include tooth decay, heart disease, gout, osteoporosis and metabolic syndrome, in which body fat and blood pressure is increased and "good" cholesterol is decreased.

The Boston Public Health Commission warns of several effects of high consumption of sugary drinks, especially in children, as they double the risk of dental cavities and increase the risk of becoming obese by 60% with every additional sugary drink consumed daily. In the US, health costs related to this disease amounts to an estimated $190 billion annually.

The difficulty also lies in the fact that sodas and other sugar-packed beverages are marketed to children. Between 1999 and 2004, almost 11% of an American child's daily calorie intake was from sugary beverages, Harvard's School of Public Health reports. Studies also show that the largest calorie source in teens' diets is soda. This sets them up for a lifetime of weight gain or obesity, if not addressed at the earliest possible time.

Professor Sanders revealed that a number of new cases of diabetes happen to fall on people 50 years old and beyond, indicating an age group that are not high on consuming sugary beverages. This may also indicate that it is the consumption of sugary drinks over a long period of time that leads to such diseases.

Professor Sanders told BBC: "It is important to stress that this study does not prove a cause-effect relationship and there are no trials as yet showing that reducing sugar-sweetened beverages decreases the incidence of type 2 diabetes."

Diabetes UK Director of Research Dr. Alasdair Rankin admitted that this study has contributed evidence that sugary drinks negatively impact health and may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, but said there must be further studies done to determine "if there is something else going on in the body that is leading to an increase in risk."