Another study links sugary beverages to diabetes and heart disease

Sugar-sweetened drinks are behind the millions of new cases of Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease worldwide each year, according to new research out of Tufts University.

Sugary beverages are defined as those with added sugars and at least 50 calories per 8-ounce serving. They include commercial or homemade beverages, soft drinks, energy drinks, fruit drinks, punch, lemonade, and aguas frescas.

Looking at data from the Global Dietary Database, Tufts researchers estimate that consumption of these drinks has led to 2.2 million new cases of Type 2 diabetes and 1.2 million new cases of cardiovascular disease.

Sugary drinks are rapidly digested and cause spikes in blood sugar, the researchers said, adding that these drinks have little nutritional value.

“Regular consumption over time leads to weight gain, insulin resistance, and a host of metabolic issues tied to Type 2 diabetes and heart disease, two of the world’s leading causes of death,” they said.

Lead study author Laura Lara-Castor, a former doctoral student at Tufts, added: “We need urgent, evidence-based interventions to curb consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages globally, before even more lives are shortened by their effects on diabetes and heart disease.”

The study was published in the journal Nature Medicine.