Does eating a lot of sugar give you type 2 diabetes?
Sugary drinks clearly and demonstrably raise your risk of type 2 diabetes. Sugar from solid food barely does. The biggest difference comes from drinking fewer sugary drinks, moving more, and losing weight.
Sugary drinks are the clearest culprit. People who drink one to two glasses of soft drinks, energy drinks or fruit drinks per day have a 25 to 26 percent higher chance of developing type 2 diabetes. This comes from research involving more than 310,000 people. Fruit juice counts too: each extra serving per day is linked to five percent more risk.
Sugar from ordinary food works differently. Eating more sugar through solid food is not linked to a higher risk of diabetes. Liquid sugar appears to be more harmful, probably because drinks make you feel full less quickly and the sugar enters your blood faster.
Early exposure may also play a role. Historical research shows that people who consumed little sugar during pregnancy and infancy later had around 35 percent less chance of developing type 2 diabetes. This was not a standard experiment, but the outcome points to a possible causal link early in life.
Excess weight and too little physical activity are the most strongly proven, reversible risk factors. In a study of 3,234 participants with elevated risk, losing seven percent of body weight combined with 150 minutes of exercise per week reduced the risk by 58 percent. For comparison: the diabetes medication metformin reduced the risk in the same study by 31 percent.
Processed meats and red meat also increase the risk. People who combine these with a high intake of sugary drinks could even triple their risk, according to one large analysis. So pay attention to your drinks, your meat intake, and your body weight at the same time.
The findings are based on two large combined analyses of many studies (one involving more than 310,000 participants), one study in people with elevated risk (Diabetes Prevention Program, n=3,234), and one historical natural experiment (the British sugar rationing period). Most of the evidence linking sugar to diabetes comes from studies that followed large groups of people over time and can only show associations, not causes proven through controlled experiments.
Does coffee help prevent type 2 diabetes?
Large population research shows that regular coffee drinkers develop type 2 diabetes considerably less often, but whether coffee itself is the cause remains uncertain.
Is intermittent fasting safe if you have type 2 diabetes?
Intermittent fasting can be safe in type 2 diabetes, but only if you do this in consultation with your doctor, because your medication will almost always need to be adjusted to prevent blood sugar from dropping too low.
What is the link between fatty liver and type 2 diabetes?
Fatty liver and type 2 diabetes reinforce each other: they share the same underlying mechanism and roughly double each other's risk. If you have a fatty liver, addressing it is also a way to reduce your risk of diabetes.
How do I know if my blood sugar is healthy (prediabetes)?
Prediabetes can be diagnosed with a blood test at your GP's practice, preferably using the glucose tolerance test. A raised value is a signal to act on your lifestyle promptly: exercise and eating fewer calories are the most effective approach.
Does having type 2 diabetes increase your risk of certain cancers?
Research shows that type 2 diabetes is associated with a higher risk of certain cancers, and that link runs largely through the excess weight that often accompanies it. For most cancers, commonly used diabetes medicines show no raised risk.
Does type 2 diabetes increase your risk of dementia?
Type 2 diabetes substantially increases the risk of dementia, and the younger you are at diagnosis, the greater that risk. Good blood sugar management and the choice of medication appear to be relevant; discuss this with your doctor if you have diabetes.