Meta-analysis confirms sugar-sweetened beverage, T2DM link

(HealthDay)—Sugar-sweetened beverage intake is associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes, according to research published online Nov. 11 in the Journal of Diabetes Investigation.

Meng Wang, from the Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Hangzhou, China, and colleagues conducted a meta-analysis of prospective studies to examine the correlation between sugar-sweetened beverage intake and the risk of type 2 diabetes. Using a random-effects model, the pooled relative risks for highest versus lowest category of sugar-sweetened beverages were estimated.

The researchers found that the pooled effect estimate of sugar-sweetened beverages for type 2 diabetes was 1.30 (95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.21 to 1.39). On stratification by geographic region of the studies, the pooled effect estimates were 1.34 (95 percent CI, 0.74 to 2.43) in Asia; 1.30 (95 percent CI, 1.20 to 1.40) in the United States; and 1.29 (95 percent CI, 1.09 to 1.53) in Europe. The pooled effect estimates were 1.26 (95 percent CI, 1.16 to 1.36) and 1.38 (95 percent CI, 1.23 to 1.56), respectively, with and without adjustment for body mass index (BMI).

"Our findings suggested that sugar-sweetened beverages intake was associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and the association was attenuated by adjustment for BMI," the authors write. "Specifically, the associations were also found significant positive in USA, Europe."