Artificially sweetened soft drink ups diabetes risk: Study

Australian researchers are calling for immediate change after their study found those drinking artificially sweetened soft drinks are at significantly higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
 
The study found drinking just one can of artificially sweetened soft drink a day can increase risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 38%.
 
This is even higher than for those who drink sugar-sweetened beverages, for whom the risk of developing type 2 diabetes was found to be 23% higher.
 
​Professor Barbora de Courten, the study’s lead author, said the research’s findings add to growing global concern about the health effects of both sugary and artificially sweetened drinks.​​​
 
She said it also challenges the ‘common assumption’ that artificially sweetened beverages are a safer choice.​​​
 
​​​​‘Artificial sweeteners are often recommended to people at risk of diabetes as a healthier alternative, but our results suggest they may pose their own health risks,’ Professor de Courten said.
 
​​​​‘We support measures like sugary drink taxes, but our study shows we also need to pay attention to artificially sweetened options. These are often marketed as better for you yet may carry their own risks.
 
‘Future policies should take a broader approach to reducing intake of all non-nutritive beverages.’
 
The study analysed data from the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study on 36,608 individuals aged 40–69 years, which included self-reported data on diabetes.
 
The frequency of sugar-sweetened beverage and artificially sweetened beverage consumption was then collected and the association with incidence of type 2 diabetes was assessed.
 
The study comes as rates of soft drink consumption continue to be high across Australia, with 6.4% of adults consuming sugar-sweetened drinks daily and 7.1% drinking artificially sweetened drinks daily.
 
For children aged 2–17, 3.4% consume sugar sweetened drinks daily and 1.2% drink artificially sweetened drinks daily.
 
However, these rates jumped significantly in children aged 14–17 years, with around half of that cohort drinking sugar-sweetened or artificially sweetened drinks.
 
Public momentum is growing in support of a sugary drinks tax, with 83% of respondents to a recent survey supporting better labelling of sugary drinks to warn consumers that they contain added sugars.
 
Around three-quarters support the cessation of marketing of sugary drinks to children, and 56% believe sugary drinks should have a health levy tax applied.
 
Log in below to join the conversation.

artificial sweetener artificially sweetened soft drink sugar tax sugary drinks tax type 2 diabetes