Sugary drinks are not dangerous for children

Consumption of sugary drinks, already implicated in the progression of obesity and type 2 diabetes (non-insulin-dependent) in children, has similar effects in adults, according to a U.S. study published in the "Journal of the American Medical Association "(JAMA).
The link between consumption of sweetened beverages and development of overweight or obesity (itself a risk factor for diabetes) has already been proven in children, say the authors. This is why the public health law published in the Official Journal shall include an article banning vending machines for drinks and snacks in French schools from 1 September 2005.

However, this association has been little studied in adults. Matthias Schulze, German Institute of Human Nutrition Nuthetal and his American colleagues have therefore analyzed data collected as part of the second edition of the "Nurse Health Study", which followed nearly 91,000 nurses between 1991 and 1999 , noting in particular their diet, level of physical activity and smoking habits.

Among the thousands of participants, none suffered from any chronic disease at the beginning of the study (including diabetes), 741 have developed this disease between 1991 and 1999.

According to the study, women whose consumption of sweetened beverages did not change between these two dates have maintained their weight during the observation period.

However, the link between weight gain and consumption of sugary drinks is blatantly apparent in the participants have changed their habits during the study. Thus, independently of other parameters, including food, weight gain maximum (about 8 kg in 8 years) was among women whose consumption increased to a maximum of one drink per week for a minimum of one drink per day.

In contrast, for women who developed their consumption in reverse, reducing the number of soft drinks intake was associated with minimal weight gain (2.8 kg on average between 1991 and 1998).

The link with the onset of diabetes, the observation data collected allowed the authors found that women who drank more than one sugary drink a day are at risk for diabetes twice as large as those whose consumption does not exceed a sweet drink per month.

In conclusion, higher consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is associated with middle-aged women, a greater weight gain and an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes risk. This follows from the fact that this particular type of beverage, in addition to providing an excessive amount of sugars, a feeling of satiety much less than that induced by the consumption of solid foods providing the same amount of calories, explain the authors.