Study Details the Effects of Soft Drink Consumption on Diabetes Risk

Adults who consume at least two 200 mL servings of soda daily are twice as likely to develop latent autoimmune diabetes of adults (LADA) and 2.4 times as likely to develop type 2 diabetes, according to recent research from Sweden.

The results were similar regardless if the beverages were naturally or artificially sweetened.
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To better understand the effect of sugary drinks on LADA and type 2 diabetes, the researchers analyzed data from the Epidemiological Study of Risk Factors for LADA and Type 2 Diabetes (ESTRID), a Swedish study that included 357 incident cases of LADA, 1136 cases of type 2 diabetes, and 1371 healthy controls.

Participants completed food frequency questionnaires to determine soda and diet soda intake in the year before their diabetes diagnosis. Diabetes was characterized based on age of onset (≥35), glutamic acid decardoxylase antibodies, and C-peptide.

For participants consuming 2 servings of soda per day, the risk for LADA was increased 2-fold and for type 2 diabetes was increased 2.4-fold compared with those who did not consume soft drinks. Participants who consumed less than 2 servings did not have an increased risk.

Each additional daily serving was associated with a 15% increased risk for LADA and 20% increased risk for type 2 diabetes. The risk was similar after analyzing sugar-sweetened vs artificially sweetened beverages separately: 18% vs 12%, respectively, for LADA risk and 21% vs 18%, respectively, for type 2 diabetes risk.

In addition, participants who consumed 5 servings of soft drink daily were 3.5 times more likely to develop LADA and 10.5 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes.

“High intake of sweetened beverages was associated with increased risk of LADA,” the researchers concluded. “The observed relationship resembled that with type 2 diabetes, suggesting common pathways possibly involving insulin resistance.”

—Amanda Balbi

Reference:

Löfvenborg JE, Andersson T, Carlsson P-O, et al. Sweetened beverage intake and risk of latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) and type 2 diabetes. Eur J Endocrinol. 2016;175:605-614. http://www.eje-online.org/content/175/6/605.full. Accessed October 24, 2016.