Canful of Sugary Drink a Day can Raise Diabetes Risk by 22 Percent: Study

Drinking just a can of sugary drink a day can up the risk of diabetes by 22 percent, according to a study based on data available from eight European countries.

The study was conducted by researchers from Imperial College London, U.K., and their colleagues. The study team analyzed data obtained from 350,000 people enrolled in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC study included U.K., Germany, Denmark, Italy, Spain, Sweden, France, Italy and the Netherlands).

Researchers looked at the participants' consumption of sugary drinks, naturally-sweetened drinks and other fruit juices. They found that after accounting for other factors, consuming 12 oz or 336 ml of sugar-sweetened soft drink a day raised the person's risk of developing diabetes type 2 by as much as 22 percent.

The increased risk of diabetes fell to 18 percent when researchers accounted for total energy consumption and body weight.

"Given the increase in sweet beverage consumption in Europe, clear messages on the unhealthy effect of these drinks should be given to the population," said Dora Romaguera, from Imperial College London, U.K., and lead author of the study, according to Medical Xpress.

Researchers also found that higher sugary drink consumption led to higher risk of diabetes. However, this association may not be casual, but driven by the participants' body mass index, meaning that people who have high BMI also tend to report higher intake of sugary drinks, and so are more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes type 2.

Sugary drinks have been blamed for the rise of obesity rates in the U.S. Recently, three large studies said that sugary drinks increase obesity risk. Another study reported that about 180,000 deaths in the world can be attributed to sugary drinks.

"The increase in risk of type 2 diabetes among sugar-sweetened soft drink consumers in Europe is similar to that found in studies in North America.," said Dr. Romaguera, part of the School of Public Health at Imperial, according to a news release.

The study is published in the journal Diabetologia.                                                

In the U.S., the number of people being diagnosed with diabetes has tripled from 5.6 million in 1980 to 26.9 million in 2010. According to CDC, by 2050, 1 in 3 U.S. adults will have diabetes. The condition is the leading cause of blindness, kidney failure and limb amputations not caused by an accident.