The more sugary drinks, the higher the risk of diabetes

According to new research, a can of sugary pop consumed every day can greatly increase a woman’s risk of developing diabetes.

Women who drank at least one sugar-sweetened soft drink every day were 85% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, according to the study at the Harvard School of Public Health in the United States.

But women who stuck to artificially-sweetened pop were at no risk, and even tended to lose weight, the American Diabetes Association’s 64th scientific sessions were told.

The rapidly absorbable sugar in soft drinks can contribute to obesity and diabetes, said study author Matthias Schulze.

"It’s not that sugar everywhere is important, but it seems that sugar specifically in liquid foods may be relevant," he said.

"So sodas and other energy-providing drinks may lead to an over-consumption of energy that would lead to obesity and weight gain", reports news.scotsman.com

According to ohio.com the researchers called caffeine "a preventable risk factor for hypertension and cardiovascular disease."

They estimate that 68 percent of boys and 62 percent of girls ages 12 to 17 drink one or more soft drinks daily, and 21 percent of boys and 22 percent of girls consume coffee or tea daily.

About a quarter of American adults have high blood pressure, which can lead to cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Complications from high blood pressure kill almost five times as many blacks as whites.

Hypertension affects younger and younger children, so the American Heart Association recommends an initial blood-pressure check at age 3, and annually thereafter.

Diet sodas with sugar substitutes, however, did not increase the chances of developing diabetes, Schulze said. Women who drank diet sodas tended to lose weight.

Diabetes is an illness that develops, often in middle age, when a body loses the ability to turn blood sugar into energy.

According to Schulze's study, the women most prone to gaining weight had increased their consumption of sugary soft drinks from less than one a week to more than one a day. On average, those women gained 4 to 4.5kg in a four-year period.

But women who cut their intake of soft drinks gained an average of 1.3kg or less, informs heraldsun.news.com.au