Sugary
Soft Drinks Contribute To Diabetes
Women who drink higher
amounts of sugar-sweetened drinks are likelier to gain weight
and develop type 2 diabetes, according to a report in the Journal
of the American Medical Association.
The study adds new
fuel to the debate on the sources of weight gain and their ultimate
impact on the ever-growing diabetes epidemic.
Both the study's authors
and its critics agree that caloric intake is crucial to the
problem.
Type 2 diabetes and
its partner, obesity, are among the top public health crises
in the world today, with over 17 million US adults suffering
from type 2 diabetes.
According to the study
authors, soft drinks are the leading source of added sugars
in the US diet.
Soft
Drinks Contributed To Weight Gain
Moreover, the increase
in the prevalence of diabetes and obesity has coincided with
a 61 percent increase in the consumption of soft drinks by adults,
and a doubling in consumption by children and adolescents between
the late 1970s and the mid-1990s.
This prospective study
looked at over 91,000 women participating in the ongoing Nurses'
Health Study II, all of whom were free of diabetes
and other major chronic diseases in 1991.
During the eight-year
course of the study, however, 741 cases of type 2 diabetes were
confirmed.
Weight gain over two
four-year periods (1991 to 1995 and 1995 to 1999) turned out
to be highest among women who increased the number of sugar-sweetened
soft drinks they consumed from one or fewer per week to one
or more per day.
Women who increased
their consumption of fruit punch also gained more weight than
those who decreased their consumption.
In this study, women
who drank high levels of sugar-sweetened soft drinks also smoked
more, were less physically active, and had lower intakes of
fiber and magnesium.
Even after adjusting
for other factors, women who consumed one or more sugar-sweetened
soft drinks per day had an 83 percent increased risk of developing
diabetes compared to those who drank less than one per month.
Women who drank one
or more fruit punches a day had twice the risk for diabetes
as women who drank less than one a month.
Diet cola and fruit
juice was not associated with type 2 diabetes.
Weight gain was only
one way that these beverages seemed to increase the incidence
of type 2 diabetes, according to the researchers.
"About half of the
increase in the risk of type 2 diabetes is due to the weight
gain that occurs with sugar-sweetened beverages, but the other
half may be related to the fact that these sugars are rapidly
absorbable," said Dr. JoAnn Manson, a study co-author.
"High-fructose corn
syrup leads to fast and dramatic rises in glucose and insulin
levels, and that can lead to insulin resistance and the development
of type 2 diabetes," adds Dr. Manson, chief of preventive
medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.
There may also be
an issue of how satisfied and full these beverages make consumers
feel. Women who drank large amounts of these beverages also
tended to eat more, although it was not entirely clear why.
"Drinking something
that has calories is not going to fill you up," said Elisabetta
Politi, nutrition manager at Duke University's Diet and Fitness
Center in Durham, N.C.
"That's what we need
to be vigilant about," Politi says. "It's definitely a good
recommendation for people struggling with weight control to
not consume caloric drinks."
"Calories
In, Calories Out" a Factor
The findings drew
criticism from the soft drink industry. "Frankly, I think the
conclusions are scientifically unsound," said Richard Adamson,
vice president for scientific and technical affairs at the American
Beverage Association.
"It has nothing to
do with a particular macronutrient. Basically, it's calories
in and calories out," Adamson says.
Dr. Manson agreed
with the last part of that statement.
"I agree that it's
calories in and calories out in terms of weight gain," Dr. Manson
says.
"Sugar-sweetened soft
drinks are not single-handedly causing the epidemic of obesity
and type 2 diabetes, but they are important contributors," she
says.
"Sedentary lifestyle,
high intake of fast foods, large portion sizes, and high calorie
intake overall are very important factors, [but] there is still
an independent contribution for sugar-sweetened beverage intake,"
Dr. Manson explains.
Always consult your
physician for more information.
Online
Resources
(Our Organization
is not responsible for the content of Internet sites.)
American
Diabetes Association
Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
HealthierUS.Gov
National
Diabetes Education Program
National
Diabetes Information Clearinghouse
National
Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases
National
Institutes of Health (NIH)
National
Library of Medicine
Prevengamos
la diabetes tipo 2. Paso a Paso |
October 2004
Sugary
Soft Drinks Contribute To Diabetes
Soft
Drinks Contributed To Weight Gain
"Calories
In, Calories Out" a Factor
What
Causes Obesity?
Online
Resources
What
Causes Obesity?
In many ways, obesity
is a puzzling disease. How the body regulates weight and body
fat is not well understood. On one hand, the cause appears to
be simple in that if a person consumes more calories than he
or she expends as energy, then he or she will gain weight.
However, the risk
factors that determine obesity can be a complex combination
of genetics, socioeconomic factors, metabolic factors, and lifestyle
choices, as well as other factors. Some endocrine disorders,
diseases, and medications may also exert a powerful influence
on an individual’s weight.
Factors which may
influence the occurrence of obesity include, but are not limited
to, the following:
genetics
- Studies have shown that a predisposition toward obesity can
be inherited. The chance of being overweight increases by 25
percent if one or both parents are obese. Where a person carries
weight - the hips or around the middle - is also strongly influenced
by heredity.
metabolic
factors - How a particular person expends energy is
different from how someone else’s body uses energy. Both
metabolic and hormonal factors are not the same for everyone,
but these factors play a role in determining weight gain. Recent
studies show that levels of ghrelin, a peptide hormone known
to regulate appetite, and other peptides in the stomach, play
a role in triggering hunger and producing a feeling of fullness
(satiety).
socioeconomic
factors - There is a strong relationship between economic
status and obesity, especially among women. Women who are poor
and of lower social status are six times more likely to be obese
than women of higher socioeconomic status. The occurrence of
obesity is also highest among minority groups, especially among
women. Sixty percent of African-American women 45 years old
or older are overweight.
lifestyle
choices - Overeating, along with a sedentary lifestyle,
contributes to obesity. These are lifestyle choices that can
be affected by behavior change.
Eating a diet in which
a high percentage of calories come from sugary, high-fat, refined
foods promotes weight gain. And, as more US families eat on
the go, high-calorie foods and beverages are often selected.
Lack of regular exercise
contributes to obesity in adults and makes it difficult to maintain
weight loss. Many of the strategies that produce successful
weight loss and maintenance help prevent obesity. Improving
eating habits and increasing physical activity play a vital
role in preventing obesity.
Recommendations for
adults include:
-
Eat five to six servings
of fruits and vegetables daily. A vegetable serving is
one cup of raw vegetables or one-half cup of cooked vegetables
or vegetable juice. A fruit serving is one piece of small
to medium fresh fruit or one-half cup of canned or fresh
fruit or fruit juice.
-
Choose whole grain foods
such as brown rice and whole wheat bread. Avoid highly
processed foods made with refined white sugar, flour,
and saturated fat.
-
Weigh and measure food in
order to be able to gain an understanding of portion sizes.
For example, a 3-ounce serving of meat is the size of
a deck of cards. Avoid supersized menu items.
-
Balance the food “checkbook.”
Taking in more calories than are expended for energy will
result in weight gain. Regularly monitor weight.
-
Avoid foods that are high
in “energy density,” or that have a lot of
calories in a small amount of food. For example, a large
cheeseburger with a large order of fries may have almost
1,000 calories and 30 or more grams of fat.
-
Remember that much may be
achieved with proper choices in serving sizes.
-
Accumulate at least 30 minutes
or more of moderate-intensity activity on most, or preferably
all, days of the week. Examples of moderate intensity
exercise are walking a 15-minute mile, or weeding and
hoeing a garden.
-
Look for opportunities during
the day to perform even ten or 15 minutes of some type
of activity, such as walking around the block or up and
down a few flights of stairs.
Always consult your
physician for more information. |
