Sugary drinks are not good for you: more evidence

Sugar has long been thought to increase risks for type 2 diabetes, but whether it really does has not been easy to prove and is still a matter of debate.

A new study suggests one reason why.  It distinguishes between the effects of sugar in beverages (increased risk) and foods (no increased risk).

The study: Dietary Sugar Intake and Incident Type 2 Diabetes Risk: A Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies.

Method: The study analyed prospective cohort studies reporting relative measures of incident T2D [type 2 diabetes] risk by categories of dietary sugar (total, free, added, fructose, sucrose) or 2 beverage sources (non-diet sugar-sweetened beverages [SSBs], fruit juice) in healthy adults.

Results: 

• Each additional serving of SSB and fruit juice was associated with a higher risk of T2D.
• In contrast, 20 g/d intakes of total sugar and sucrose were inversely associated with T2D.
• No associations were found for added sugar…or fructose.

The figure shows the effect of 20 g/d sugar intake on T2D risk, in comparison to typical doses of SSB and fruit juice.

A) shows the bar plot illustrating the summary effect of a 20 g/d intake for different sugar types on risk of T2D.

B) compares these doses to typical servings sizes per day of SSBs (39 g/d) and fruit juice (23.3 g/d).

Conclusion: These findings suggest that dietary sugar consumed as a beverage (SSB and fruit juice) is associated with incident T2D risk. The results do not support the common assumption that dietary sugar (i.e., total sugar and sucrose), irrespective of type and amount, is consistently associated with increased T2D risk.

Comment: Sugar is still nutritionally empty, causes tooth decay(especially if water is unfluoridated), and is best consumed in small amounts.  But if this finding holds up, the moral is clear:  Don’t drink your calories.