Why Sweetened Drinks Could Be Dangerous To Health - Researchers

Researchers have raised the alarm over the negative impact of sweetened drinks to health, saying they pose a greater diabetes risk than other sugary foods containing fructose, a naturally occurring sugar. According to findings of a new study review published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), fruits and other foods containing fructose seem to have no harmful effect on blood glucose levels, while sweetened drinks and some other foods that add excess energy to diets may have harmful effects.

Researchers analysed  the results of 155 studies which suggested fruit and fruit juice – when these foods do not provide excess calories – may have beneficial effects on blood glucose and insulin control, especially in people with diabetes, a medical condition that impairs the body’s ability to process blood glucose, otherwise known as blood sugar.

Normally, the pancreas (an organ behind the stomach) releases insulin to help the body store and use the sugar and fat from the food the consumed food. Diabetes is when the pancreas does not produce any insulin called Type 1 diabetes or when the body is unable to effectively use the insulin it produces called Type 2 diabetes. Gestational diabetes causes high levels of blood sugar during pregnancy.

The leader of the study, Dr. John Sievenpiper, who is a researcher in the Clinical Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification Centre of St Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, Canada, said these findings may help guide recommendations on important food sources of fructose in the prevention and management of diabetes.

Fructose, or fruit sugar found in honey, trees, vine fruits, flowers, berries, and most root vegetables, is a simple ketonic monosaccharide found in many plants, where it is often bonded to glucose to form the disaccharide sucrose.

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