Sugar-Sweetened Drinks Raise Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in Black Women

Wednesday July 30, 2008

Type 2 diabetes strikes twice as many black women as white women in the U.S. Although there are other factors that increase risk, such as obesity and family history, a ten-year follow-up study, based on the Black Women's Health Study shows a correlation of sugar-sweetened soft drink and fruit juice consumption and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes in black women.

According to the study...

"Women who consumed 2 or more soft drinks per day had a 24% increase in incidence relative to women who drank less than 1 soft drink per month. A similar association was observed for sweetened fruit drinks, with a 31% increase observed for 2 or more drinks per day relative to less than 1 drink per month. Consumption of orange and grapefruit juice and of diet soft drinks was not associated with diabetes risk."

Contributing factors to the higher risk of diabetes were weight gain due to increased consumption of sugar sweetened soft drinks and the effects of high fructose corn sweeteners on insulin sensitivity.

Read the entire study here...