Sugary drinks linked to 8,000 new UK diabetes cases a year

ConclusionThis study is a systematic review and meta-analysis that aimed to investigate the associations between consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks, artificially sweetened drinks, and fruit juice with type 2 diabetes, and to estimate the PAF for type 2 diabetes in the UK and US.Regular consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks was associated with increased incidence of type 2 diabetes. Artificially sweetened drinks and fruit juice also showed a positive association; however, there is thought to be confounding and publication bias associated with these outcomes.Consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks may be linked to 1.8 million cases of type 2 diabetes in the US and 79,000 in the UK over 10 years, if we assume causality. However, this study did not prove cause and effect.Diabetes is a growing problem, with around 3.2 million people aged 16 or over diagnosed with diabetes in England in 2013, and 630,000 people who have not been diagnosed. This is expected to increase. The rise in type 2 diabetes is mostly down to: increasing levels of obesity lack of exercise increase in unhealthy diets an ageing populationPreventative measures against type 2 diabetes can be taken, such as being more active, losing weight and eating more healthily. Recent recommendations from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) state that free sugars should not exceed 5% of our total dietary energy intake. This applies to all age groups from 2 years upwards. This means no more ...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Food/diet Diabetes Source Type: news