Sugary drinks raise risk of Type 2 Diabetes in boys: study

By Isobel Williams via SWNS

Boys are more at risk of Type 2 diabetes from sugary drinks than girls, according to a new study.

The research suggests that regularly drinking sugary drinks and fruit juices during childhood and adolescence can lead to a higher risk of the condition for boys, but not girls.

According to a 2022 American Heart Association fact sheet about sugary drinks, nearly two-thirds of children and adolescents in the US consume at least one sugary drink each day.

The researchers note that in addition to weight gain, eating too many foods with added sugars, especially from sugary drinks, raises the risk of developing heart disease, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes and tooth decay.

Now, the team has analyzed data of children of the 2,128 pregnant women who had children while enrolled in Project Viva.

Project Viva is a long-term study of women and their children in eastern Massachusetts that began enrollment in 1999.

The study is focused on improving maternal and child health by examining the potential impact of various life and health factors during and after pregnancy on the mother’s health and their children’s health, including a review of diet and nutrition.

Children were followed from birth to late adolescence, up to age 20 at the most recent follow-up.

Researchers calculated the average consumption of sugary drinks, fruit juices, and fresh fruits over childhood and adolescence and assessed their potential associations to three markers of Type 2 diabetes: insulin resistance, fasting blood glucose level and HbA1c levels.

HbA1c is something that’s made when the sugar in your body sticks to your red blood cells.

They discovered that each daily serving of sugary drinks during childhood and adolescence among boys was associated with a 34 percent increase in insulin resistance; a 5.6 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl) increase in fasting glucose levels; and a 0.12 percent increase in HbA1c levels in late adolescence.

Drinking 100 percent fruit juice throughout childhood and adolescence was linked to a 0.07 percent increase in HbA1c levels in late adolescence per daily serving among the boys in the study, with only a slight increase in girls of 0.02 percent.

Eating fresh fruit during childhood and adolescence did not appear to have a positive or negative effect on the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes among the boys or girls in the study, which is to be presented at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology and Prevention Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Scientific Sessions 2024 in Chicago.

The researchers say that they were shocked by their findings, particularly how little these drinks impacted young girls.

Lead investigator Dr. Soren Harnois-Leblanc, of Harvard Medical School, said: “Although several aspects of biology and behaviors differ between boys and girls, I would have expected to also find an association between sugar-sweetened beverages and fruit juice intake and the increases in insulin resistance, glycemia and HbA1c levels in late-adolescent girls.

“I was also surprised that eating whole fruits did not reduce the levels of these markers of Type 2 diabetes.”

The team hopes that their results will encourage medical professionals to caution their patients against sugary drinks and fruit juices.

Dr. Harnois-Leblanc said: “While these findings are preliminary, they support the existing evidence about the potential relationship between beverages with added sugar and long-term risk of Type 2 diabetes in children.

“Paediatricians and other health care professionals should caution young patients and their parents about sugary drinks and fruit juices when discussing healthy eating habits.

“Diet and cardiometabolic health are complex, with many factors varying over time and interacting in different ways, and this study represents one small piece of this puzzle.”

American Heart Association nutrition committee member Professor Penny Kris-Etherton added: “This study has shown that greater sugar-sweetened beverage intake, including fruit juice, throughout childhood and adolescence is associated with higher markers of diabetes risk in late adolescence in boys but not girls.

“It is striking that many measures of Type 2 diabetes risk were increased in boys at such an early age.

“These findings support the current dietary recommendations of the Association, and many organizations, to limit or eliminate drinking sugar-sweetened beverages and instead consume whole fruits, which are high in so many nutrients, especially the shortfall nutrients in the average American diet.”