Soft drinks without sugar associated with type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome

The sugar-free soft drinks are not as harmless as one might think, according to a new study américaine1. Those who drink regularly are at risk of suffering from type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome. Nearly 7 000 Americans have been followed in connection with this investigation. According to the results, participants who drank at least one soft drink per day without sugar at the beginning of the study had 36% more likely to be suffering from type 2 diabetes than those who rarely or never drank. And they had 67% more likely to suffer from metabolic syndrome. From 2000 to 2002, participants answered a questionnaire about their eating habits, including how often they consumed soft drink without sugar. On three occasions during the years that followed, either in 2002-2003, 2004-2005 and in 2005-2007, members of the cohort were tested for the detection of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome . Isabelle Galibois, professor in the department of food sciences and nutrition at Laval University and a specialist in diabetes, is not ready to condemn the sugar-free soft drinks provided. "It's very difficult to lay blame on a particular food," she says. It is possible that lovers of soft drinks, even if they are dieting, have less attention to their diet in general. She stresses that in the past, some studies have shown a relationship between consumption of sugar-free soft drinks and type 2 diabetes. But other research has found no link. To prevent type 2 diabetes, it is better to focus all of their food, suggesting she says. Regular exercise and good stress management are also given priority.