Soft drinks by definition include regular carbonated soda, diet and caffeine-free soda, drinks made with juice, sports drinks and ready to drink teas.
Soft drinks sweetened with HFCS such as colas, fruit drinks, and energy drinks are the primary source of sugar in the typical American’s diet.
Most people in the Western world today are consuming an average of 28.5 kg of sugar per year, most of it hidden in drinks and food sweetened with high fructose corn syrup.
In the United States, soft drink consumption has increased dramatically since 1970. During this same period, the percentage of Americans who are obese and have diabetes increased as well.
People who consume sugary drinks regularly—1 to 2 cans a day or more—have a 26% greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes than people who rarely have such drinks. (
Diabetes Care. 2010;33:2477-83)
A large study of 59000 African-American women who are particularly prone to diabetes, found that drinking two or more sugar sweetened soft drinks increased diabetes rick by 25%, whereas drinking two or more fruit juices increases risk by 31 percent (
Arch Intern Med. 2008 Jul 28;168(14):1487-92).
It is approximated that half of type 2 diabetes cases can be prevented by controlling weight through dietary improvement and psychical activity.
Soft drinks, sugar and diabetes
