Harvard study: Ditching sugary drinks tied to reduced diabetes complications

People with diabetes are generally advised to avoid sugary drinks to help control their blood sugar. A Harvard study published online April 19, 2023, by The BMJ shows that avoiding sugary drinks also is linked to dramatically lower risks for cardiovascular disease and early death. Researchers evaluated an average of 18.5 years of health data from more than 15,000 middle-age and older adults with diabetes who reported what they drank. Compared with people who drank coffee, tea, low-fat milk, or water, people who drank sugary drinks — like sugary soda, fruit punch, or lemonade — had much higher health risks: up to 20% higher for early death, 25% higher for developing cardiovascular disease, and 29% higher for cardiovascular-related death. Fortunately, replacing just one daily sugar-sweetened drink with a non-sugary one was tied to as much as an 18% reduced risk of early death and 24% reduced risk of cardiovascular-related death. Even drinking artificially sweetened beverages (like zero-sugar sodas) in lieu of sugary drinks was associated with an 8% lower risk of death from all causes and a 15% lower risk of cardiovascular-related death. This study was observational and therefore can't prove conclusively that avoiding sugary drinks will bring these health benefits in people with diabetes. But it builds on extensive evidence linking sugary drink consumption to chronic disease and early death in people without diabetes, so it's plausible.

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