Are Sugar-Sweetened Drinks Harmful For Type 2 Diabetes Patients? Here’s What Research Says

More often than not, we have been warned about consuming sugary drinks by nutritionists, doctors, or health enthusiasts. These beverages are associated with a number of health issues. A new study has further indicated links between sugary drinks and cardiovascular diseases. As per a recent study, a high intake of sugar-sweetened drinks (SSBs) was found to be linked to an increased risk of early death and the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) among patients with type 2 diabetes. A lower risk of premature death was linked to drinking coffee, tea, low-fat cow’s milk, and plain water.

The study specifically examined the beverage intake of people with type 2 diabetes. While a lot of previous research has connected the consumption of sugary drinks to cardiometabolic health, weight change, and mortality, such studies have mostly involved the general population as opposed to this one.

The study was published online in The BMJ and is titled ‘Beverage consumption and mortality among adults with type 2 diabetes: prospective cohort study.’

The team assessed 15,486 subjects. The total participants included 9,252 women from the Nurse’s Health Trial and 3,519 men from the Health Professionals’ Follow-up Study. All of the subjects had Type 2 diabetes at baseline or at some point during the trial. Their medical data were analysed for an average of 18.5 years by the researchers. As part of the study, the participants reported how frequently they drank SSBs (such as sodas, fruit punch, and lemonade), artificially sweetened beverages, fruit juice, coffee, tea, low-fat cow’s milk, full-fat cow’s milk, and plain water every two to four years.

The results showed that people who consumed had an increased risk of mortality as well as a higher incidence of mortality from cardiovascular disease. The team inferred that a daily serving of SSB increased the mortality chances by 8 per cent. In contrast, those who regularly drank healthier beverages like coffee, tea, low-fat cow’s milk, and/or plain water had a lower risk of mortality.

The researchers found that in patients with type 2 diabetes, drinking full-fat milk was linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and death. On the other hand, drinking low-fat milk decreased the risk of death and CVDs.

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