Do Sweetened Sodas Lead to Diabetes?

Provided by DrWeil.com      November 02, 2004

Q: I've been trying to avoid artificial sweeteners so I've been buying regular soft drinks. Now I hear that they can lead to diabetes. If I limit myself to one per day, would that be alright? -- Cybelle

A: If I were you, I would choose something else to drink. Results of a study published in the Aug. 25, 2004, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that drinking a single sugar-containing soda per day was linked to weight gain and increases a woman's risk of developing diabetes by 83 percent over that of women who have less than one sweetened drink per month.

Apart from the extra calories, the reason why sugary drinks present such a high risk of weight gain and diabetes is not known. However, another study reported this summer suggests that the high fructose corn syrup often used for sweetening may play a role by tinkering with the way appetite is regulated. Published in the June 4, 2004, issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, this study showed that after a group of normal-weight women ate a meal and then drank a beverage flavored with the amount of fructose found in two cans of soda, levels of two hormones, insulin and leptin, declined. These hormones help signal that we've hadenough to eat. The fructose also seemed to boost levels of the appetite-stimulating hormone ghrelin. No such effects occurred when the women drank glucose-sweetened beverages. The researchers theorized that the hormonal changes seen during the study could promote overeating and consequently, obesity.

I've warned before about consuming high fructose corn syrup, which is used to sweeten most soft drinks (and is also a convenient marker of low-quality foods). And, of course, sodas of any kind don't belong in a healthy, well-balanced diet. Opt instead for filtered water, iced tea and sparkling water mixed with natural fruit juice.

Andrew Weil, MD
Last Reviewed: November 2004