Soda And Diabetes :

I read an article called, "Soft Drinks: The Cold, Hard Facts," in which you said, "...women who drank at least one sugar-sweetened soda a day were 85 percent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who drank less." How does this amount affect men? My husband used to drink a lot of Kool-Aid, but has switched to at least one can of Coke a day. How likely is he to get type 2 diabetes? I have high cholesterol, and I've been trying to make healthier meals, but he ruins that effort by drinking pop. I’m really upset and need some help!
--Thelma

I appreciate your writing, and you touch on a few questions that are very important for people who are trying to stay healthy. First of all, type 2 diabetes isn’t caused by eating or drinking sugar, but taken out of context it may seem that I’m saying that.What I did say is that people who drink a lot of soda often also have problems with overweight and obesity, which does directly increase risk for type 2 diabetes. People who eat and drink a lot of sugar are often at more risk for health problems due to the foods that they don’t eat as well.

You see, by drinking pop, you add empty calories to your diet, and if you don’t burn the extra calories from soda, you will store them as fat. Soda often replaces good nutrients such as calcium and vitamin D from other more nutritious beverages, such as nonfat milk.

Switching from “a lot” of Kool-Aid to one single 12-ounce can of soda daily is an improvement, of course, and as long as your husband keeps his weight under control, and exercises regularly, he keeps his risk for diabetes under control. But, if he’s overweight and is drinking soda daily, let’s see if we can ask him to modify that habit! How about asking him to switch to diet soda? Another option is the new smaller cans of Coke.

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