People Who Drink This Popular Beverage Have 2x the Risk of Diabetes, Study Finds
There's something about a crisp soda on a hot summer day. If you're on a weight loss journey or trying to cut out sugar, it can be tempting to turn to diet drinks to curb your craving. It makes sense, especially given that high amounts of daily sugar have been linked to weight gain, low energy, and possibly a higher risk of cancer.
But as it turns out, diet sodas may not be the better option we originally thought. In fact, they may raise your risk of diabetes in a similar way to regular soda, according to a new study.
In the study, researchers looked at the data of more than 4,654 adults from the 30-year-long Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study. The participants' diets were assessed at the beginning of the study and then again at the seven and 20-year mark.The researchers looked at several factors, but mostly the average intake of diet beverages, and artificial sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose. The researchers then broke the participants up based on the amount of substances they ingested.
They then looked at the participants' risk of diabetes. In this case, they defined diabetes as having a fasting glucose level higher than 126 mg/dL, glucose of 200 mg/dL or higher after a glucose tolerance test, an A1C above 6.5 percent, or the use of diabetes medications at follow-up visits.
Researchers found that individuals who consumed the most diet beverages had a 129 percent higher risk of diabetes compared to those who drank the least.
"Higher intakes of diet beverages and saccharin were associated with an increased risk of incident diabetes," the study authors said. "These findings highlight the need to evaluate the long-term metabolic effects of [artificial sweeteners] on glucose metabolism."
People Who Drink This Popular Beverage Have 2x the Risk of Diabetes, Study Finds first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 26, 2025
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