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# Sugar-sweetened drinks boost diabetes risk
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/sugar-sweetened_drinks_boost_diabetes_risk_2711100537/
- Published: 2010-11-27T18:36:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T15:43:27.000Z
- Description: Harvard researchers pooled 11 studies covering 310,819 people and found that those drinking one to two servings of sugar-sweetened beverages a day had a 26% higher risk of type 2 diabetes and a 20% higher risk of metabolic syndrome than those drinking almost none.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Food, Nutrition, Soft Drinks, Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome, #vivvo-import

A study in the Nov 2010 issue of Diabetes Care suggests drinking too much of a sugar-sweetened beverage can not only increase weight gain, but also boost risk of developing metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes mellitus.

The review study led by Frank Hu and colleagues at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts found men and women in the highest quantile of sugar-sweetened beverage intake or drinkin 1 to 2 servings a day were at 26 percent increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus than those in the lowest quantile or drinking none or less than 1 serving per month.

Sugar-sweetened beverages included soft drinks,fruit drinks, iced tea, and energy and vitamin water drinks, according to the definition used in the study.

The researchers reviewed 11 studies, three for metabolic syndrome and eight for type 2 diabetes mellitus and analyzed data from the studies of 310,819 participants and 15,043 cases of type 2 diabetes mellitus to see if there is any association between sugar sweetened beverage intake and risk of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes mellitus.

In addition to the association between drinking sugar-sweetened beverages and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus, Hu et al. also found those who drank the highest amounts of the beverages were 20 percent more likely to develop metabolic syndrome.

The researchers concluded that "These data provide empirical evidence that intake of SSBs (sugar-sweetened beverages) should be limited to reduce obesity-related risk of chronic metabolic diseases."

Type 2 diabetes mellitus affects an estimated 20 to 25 million people in the United States. The disease can lead to servere complications including diabetic foot pain, diabetic neuropathy.

Life insurance for diabetics is more costly than that for those without the condition. The 30-year term annual premium for a 45-year old non-smoking man can be anywhere between $995 and $1385 annually, according to termquotes.biz.

David Liu

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