April 8, 2009 – Sugar-free soft drinks are not as harmless as you might think, new US study finds1. Those who drink it regularly would be at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, or metabolic syndrome.
Almost 7,000 Americans were followed as part of this investigation. According to the results, participants who drank at least one sugar-free soft drink per day at the start of the study were 36% more likely to have type 2 diabetes than those who drank it rarely or never. And they had a 67% higher risk of suffering from metabolic syndrome.
From 2000 to 2002, participants answered a questionnaire about their eating habits, including how often they consumed soft drinks without sugar. On three occasions in the following years, in 2002-2003, 2004-2005 and 2005-2007, the members of the cohort underwent examinations for the detection of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. .
Isabelle Galibois, professor in the Department of Food and Nutrition Sciences at Laval University and specialist in diabetes, is not ready to condemn soft drinks without sugar. “It’s very difficult to lay the blame on a particular food,” she says. It is possible that fans of soft drinks, even if they are dieters, pay less attention to their diet in general. She points out that, in the past, a few studies have already shown a relationship between the consumption of sugar-free soft drinks and type 2 diabetes. But other research has found no link.
To prevent type 2 diabetes, it’s best to target your entire diet, she suggests. Regular exercise and good stress management should also be favored.
Dominique Forget – PasseportSanté.net
1. Diet soda intake and risk of incident metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). Nettleton JA, Lutsey PL et al. Care. 2009 Apr; 32 (4): 688-94.
