Swapping Fizzy Drinks for Water Reduces Diabetes Risk
Dentists have been encouraging people to swap sugar-laden fizzy drinks for water for many years, but new research has revealed further benefits for sticking to plain water.
Researchers at Harvard School of Public Health, found that women who drink plain water, rather than fizzy drinks, are less likely to develop diabetes, a life-threatening condition, which affects the body’s ability to control blood sugar levels.
Lead researcher, Dr Frank Hu, said that it was well-documented that sugary drinks increase the risk of diabetes, but the study was focused on determining whether it was beneficial, in terms of diabetes risk, to drink plain water. Dr Hu and his research team analysed data from the Nurses Health Study, which involved 83,000 women in the USA and was collected over a twelve year period.
The study analysed the diet and health of the women and of the 83,000, around 2,700 developed diabetes. The amount of water consumed did not affect the risk, but researchers found that consuming sugary drinks increased the risk and swapping just one cup of fizzy drink for water decreased the risk of diabetes by between 7 and 8 percent.
Dr Hu’s study also suggested that unsweetened tea and coffee may be better alternatives to sugary drinks. Hu suggested that it was important for people to realise that there is very little benefit in swapping fizzy drinks for other sugary drinks, such as fruit juice, as often the quantity of sugar is similar and the drinks contain the same number of calories.
The study has recently been published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
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