Not so sweet: Research links diet sodas to increased type 2 diabetes risk

Consuming one artificially sweetened soft drink each day may raise a person’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 38%, according to a recent study. The authors found this risk to be higher than it is for consumers of sugar-sweetened beverages, such as regular sodas, where the threat was discovered to be 23% higher. 

A team from Monash University, RMIT University, and the Cancer Council Victoria from Australia conducted the study. It tracked more than 36,000 adult Australians for more than 14 years.

“Drinking one or more of these beverages each day — whether sweetened with sugar or artificial substitutes — was linked to a significantly higher chance of developing type 2 diabetes,” says Hussen Kabthymer.

Senior author and professor de Courten stresses that the findings challenge a widespread assumption that artificially sweetened beverages are a safer choice.

“Artificial sweeteners are often recommended to people at risk of diabetes as a healthier alternative, but our results suggest they may pose their own health risks,” she notes.

Artificial sweeteners’ direct effect on metabolism

Obesity is often the most common sign of a link between sugary drinks and diabetes. However, the study found the causality between artificially sweetened drinks and type 2 diabetes was strong even after body weight was adjusted.

The researchers believe this suggests artificial sweeteners have a potentially direct effect on metabolism. Additionally, De Courten says the findings have important implications for public health policy.

“We support measures like sugary drink taxes, but our study shows we also need to pay attention to artificially sweetened options,” he notes. “These are often marketed as better for you, yet may carry their own risks. Future policies should take a broader approach to reducing intake of all non-nutritive beverages.”

The study analyzed data from the long-running Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study, also known as Health 2020, involving participants aged 40–69 years, and adjusted for diet, exercise, education, and health history.

The researchers stress that type 2 diabetes affects around 1.3 million Australians and more than 500 million people worldwide, with the vast majority of cases linked to diet and lifestyle.

Their findings are published in the journal Diabetes & Metabolism.

Not so sweet on sweeteners?

In line with growing consumer affiliations with the “clean label” movement, pushback on artificial sweeteners is more pronounced than ever. However, it is essential to note that not all sugar alternatives are created equal. Stevia, for instance, is a natural botanical extract found to have benefits on the human gut microbiome.

On the other hand, recent reports have flagged sucralose’s impact on brain appetite regulation, which prompted opposition from the International Sweeteners Association. The association argues that artificial sweeteners are an important tool for reducing sugar and calorie intake.

Meanwhile, a study this month revealed that erythritol may affect brain cells in numerous ways that may raise the risk of stroke. The food additive is present across numerous low-calorie foods, from low-carb ice cream to keto protein bars and sugar-free sodas.

Sugar remains an overall culprit for a myriad of negative health outcomes, which continues to propel research around viable alternatives. One study earlier this year linked sugar-sweetened beverages to 2.2 million new type 2 diabetes cases and 1.2 million new cardiovascular disease incidents globally in 2020. These health implications were discovered to disproportionately impact regions like Latin America, the Caribbean, and sub-Saharan Africa.