Replacing just one sugary drink each day with water reduces diabetes risk: Study

Replacing just one sugary drink each day with water may reduce your risk of developing diabetes, according to a study published by Diabetes Care.

Researchers from Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health looked at more than two decades' worth of data collected in three long-term studies, involving more than 192,000 adults.

By tracking beverage intake over time, they found that people who increased their consumption of sugary drinks (including 100% fruit juice) by more than 4 ounces a day over four years had a 16% increase in diabetes risk over the next four years.

Turning to "diet" versions might not help, either: an 18% jump in diabetes risk occurred in people who increased their intake of artificially sweetened drinks by more than 4 ounces a day over the same period, although some of that risk could have reflected other factors, said researchers.

The bottom line: If you want to reduce diabetes risk, it's better to skip sweet drinks and stick to unsweetened tea, coffee, or water.

When people drank one of those beverages once a day instead of a sweetened drink, diabetes risk dropped by 2% to 10%.

Harvard health publishing

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